The Lowly One:  Part One
by Leilana.is.dtf
Summary: Leilani Cousland, who also happens to have a very interesting genetic background, learns about her world. Can an Abomination and an abused Elven child ever grow up to be functioning members of society? NEWEST POSTINGS ON LJ - SEE PROFILE FOR MORE INFO.
1. Chapter One 1 prologue

Prologue

The screams of hundreds of panicked elves and humans mingled with the roar of the collapsing city. A few Tevinter soldiers could be seen stabbing and slashing their way through the crowd that surged against the protective barrier surrounding the underground citadel. Anyone could leave, but no one could return through the barrier alive. Not until the Guardian had sealed away the most powerful and beloved of their ancestors to ensure none would be used by the Imperium.

"No, I will NOT leave your side! I would rather die here with you than die alone!" A beautiful young human woman with long, dark hair held onto the arm of a blonde elven man. His garments and regal face tattoos marked him as the Guardian, one of the ancestors who had mysteriously awakened from the Long Sleep a few years ago. The earth shook violently, causing her to stumble.

"We shall travel deeper into the catacombs, then. I must ensure that our people's secrets remain hidden from these monsters for all time." He squeezed her left forearm, pulling her up from where she had fallen. She stood up and put her hand down into the front of her long turquoise gown to retrieve a small sapphire amulet. The woman tossed it into a basket of assorted jewels and other items nearby, content that her people would eventually find it and honor the goddess it invoked. Her lover watched her movements and pulled a similar amulet from a cord around his neck. His amulet had a yellow diamond at its center.

The human ran alongside her husband, dodging rocks and pieces of the vaulted ceiling as they headed downward, against the flow of people rushing towards the surface. A rage demon appeared in the midst of a corridor at one point, terrifying the fleeing city dwellers before the couple called Light to their palms and quickly vanquished it.

The cursed Tevinters had hunted them all the way here, hundreds of miles from Arlathan to the sacred tombs. Their attendants had urged the couple to flee to the relative safety above, but of course they would have had to fight their way out of the clutches of the Imperial army. That would mean their enemies and whatever evil they summoned would have had clear access to the forbidden chambers below the first three levels of their blessed city.

Sulornel, their Arcane Warrior and closest friend met up with them as they ran into one of the libraries. The two men pulled a heavy stone book case from against the wall, and the woman began reaching behind it to trigger the hidden doorway to the most ancient part of the city. "We will hold off as long as we can, but as soon as we sense the defilement of the tombs where a few of the younger magi lie in Uthenera, we will make sure the rest of the city is never found." The woman held her hand up to one section of rock, blue light from her palm triggering some unseen mechanism.

The blonde-haired elven man pressed an ornate glass phylactery into Sulornel's hand. "Just in case things get too heavy up here. Hide your essence until some of the tribes return to retrieve the holy relics." He turned to hold up his palm's golden light next to his wife's, and a small section of the wall moved inward and to the side, giving the couple access to a dark, narrow passageway that led steadily downward. "May Lethanavir guide your feet and calm your soul, brother."

"Goodbye, dear friend!" The woman said at last, just as the wall closed behind them.

Sulornel moved the stone shelf back against the wall and restacked a few books that had fallen down. Several minutes later, he was accosted by four abominations led by an arcane horror. He had no choice but to speak the incantation that would transfer his body and soul to the phylactery he held in his hands.

Just as he spoke the last word of the phrase, the two guardians reached their destination at the center of a dais, deep within the catacombs. This part of the city was eerily quiet, with only a few statues looking down at them. The woman gasped an clutched her chest, then reached for her mate.

He embraced her, holding her tightly. "Yes, it is time already, emma lath, emma vhenan'ara."

"Emma sa'lath! I will see you in the Fade!" she replied fiercely. The two guardians kissed, and a blinding white light emanated from them. A second later, a terrific explosion rocked the city for several long moments.

The last of the great Elvhenan cities was reduced to a ruin in a matter of minutes, and the Tevinters, along with several unfortunate souls whose bodies remained near the protective barrier died instantly. It would be many decades before anyone, elf or human, ventured near the ruined Elven Tombs. And it would be many centuries before any of the secrets regarding its demise would be rediscovered. But the sacrifice of the guardians had paid off. The ancient catacombs were buried forever under rock and rubble, and would never be found again.


	2. Chapter One 2 new lives

The Lowly One - Part One (New Lives)

The moonlit spring night's cool breeze was a welcome relief as a small elf's body was wracked with another set of birth pangs. The rosy-cheeked, raven-haired girl's breathing was shallow and her two younger sisters looked over her, lines of worry marring their otherwise beautiful faces. Torchlight flickered briefly over the small clearing amongst the oaks as one pointy-eared girl lay on her side amongst a mismatched collection of borrowed cushions, the other two kneeling upon a neatly arranged pile of wolf pelts.

All three wore the drab gray and burgundy dresses that marked them as servants of the Orlesian family that currently occupied Redcliffe. Having arrived at the camp just as the sun set, there had been no time to change into the more familiar leather garb of their home tribe before the young girl's contractions had become too severe. So they were easy to spot; in stark contrast against the verdant green of their current place of rest in the countryside.

"Don't worry, Lenora, I'll be fine." Melora paused and squinted her eyes in pain, then took a deep breath. "Just get me some of the Blessed water, please".

"No, I'll go get it, right away." Sefora, the youngest, was most concerned and always tried her best to be helpful while Melora suffered through her delicate condition. She quickly scurried away on the errand, not wanting to be left with the expectant mother should something terrible happen. As the eldest, the only small comfort Melora had through the whole ordeal was that at least her younger sisters would be safe from now on. They should never have to endure the pain and humiliation that she had. Now all she had to do was make sure her and the baby survived its impending birth.

She groaned again, cursing Brendon. Why did she have to open her legs for that stupid drunken shemlen, with his promises of making her "his special girl", never mind the fact that he was the Bann Franderel's youngest son? At 17 years, she should be enjoying the Festival of Renewal, basking in the glory of a Dirthamen-blessed moonlit spring night. Or else plying her charms as a whore at some West Hill outpost's brothel . Anything seemed better than wallowing on the ground like a fat sow about to burst from this heavy, human-sized child trying to force its way out of her body.

No, she mustn't get angry. "Mythal, shield us from harm", she whispered, ignoring Lenora's cross glare as she once again called upon a pagan goddess instead of the Maker.

Nirolel, the trio's father who had never returned from a wolf hunt the day after she turned 13, would have said she must love ANY child, no matter the circumstances of its birth. Their mother, Felina, was so kind she had refused to hunt her entire life, instead focusing on healing and tending to the forests and its abundant plant life. Her dear, sweet mother had died of some filthy plague the Orlesian chevaliers had cursed the human village where she volunteered as a healer with two years ago, which left her oldest daughter to take care of her sisters at the tender age of 15.

As though conjured by thoughts of her mother, the tribe's Keeper appeared silently, a welcome but surprising godsend. "Salaine?" Melora was shocked enough to overcome the pain and sat up again. "Wh-why are YOU here?"

"Hush, child. Everyone has been blessed and celebration is well under way. They will do fine without these old bones frowning in disapproval at their libations. YOU however, are the one who is in need this holy night." Although welcome, it was still quite a surprise to Melora that their Keeper would go out of her way to assist her. Most of the elves who stayed true to the Dalish ways didn't associate with humans and did their best to shun the city elves, including those who migrated to the villages for seasonal work as she and her sisters had done. They could have stayed, but Melora had been stubborn, determined to do anything to avoid being a burden while the tribe survived the long winters.

Sefora returned, cradling an earthen pitcher of the blessed water. A few of Adahlelvhenan tribe's best hunters had braved the nearby ruins and returned with a skin of water from a small pool deep within the ancient city that morning. Their keeper had then performed some complicated ritual and mingled the precious water with some normal spring water in the hollowed-out log of an Ironbark tree. The water had been consecrated at daybreak in preparation for their feast and celebration that night.

"I've got it – Oh! Lady Keeper?" Sefora's eager blue eyes widened in disbelief and she glanced at Lenora, opening her mouth as though about to ask a question. The middle sister shook her head quickly as though to silence her, then shrugged.

"Hahaha, my sister's granddaughters - you city dwellers have forgotten how to properly address me already? Salaine will do just fine. Hmmm…you've got the Blessed waters here, do you?" The older woman grumbled, took the pitcher from the Sefora's arms and sat down amongst the wolf pelts to look the expectant young mother over.

"Umm…yes My Lady…I mean, Salaine. Lady Salaine." Sefora stammered in reply.

"Humph. Well, you're certainly healthy, looks like the flat-ears fed you all well at least." Salaine, already forgetting the younger girl's awkwardness, pushed aside the coverlets and her cool, wizened hands examined Melora's distended belly after sprinkling a bit of the blessed water over her. The babe moved a little, and the old woman chuckled. "And your baby is very healthy too. You'll both do just fine, no worries at all. It has been six years since a healthy child has been born to our tribe, let alone survived in this wretched world. Our people are dying and this foolhardy attempt at celebrating the Keeper of Secret's Spring Festival out in the open will only bring the Chantry's dogs on us all the more quicker, you mark my words!"

"Hunters who don't want to listen to their Keeper. Who would have dreamed such a thing? Souver'inan isala hamin….." she sighed, and all the weariness of the decades spent trying to keep her people safe were etched into the lines of her skin. She gathered her waist-long silver braids and twisted them up into a large knot. "But enough of that. It is time for a new life to come into this world of ours."

A sliver of moonlight beamed down on them from between the tree branches at that moment, and the aged Keeper paused. The deep blue gem in the center of the silver amulet she wore around her neck started to light up, then pulsate softly. Three young elves looked up at her questioningly, not daring to disturb her as she stared into the distant hills, as though listening to voices only she could hear. Her eyes began to glow with the same soft but eerie blue light.

"Ahhhhhh!" Salaine finally broke the strange silence and spoke in a hushed monotone. "Yes, this one will be truly blessed! Through her, The Protector will be reborn, the one who will overcome the darkness within. The ancient curse shall be broken and the land's four children will unite as one. The Lost One shall be found, and the sacred city shall awaken from its slumber. The Forest will know her and be glad, while the lowliest of the lowly will be her chosen Consort. Our land and people will know joy once again."

Salaine smiled, the blue glow of her eyes beginning to dim. She looked down at Melora and spoke consolingly. "Your child will be strong and live a full life. She will sacrifice herself to save her own child, but she will live happy and die free. As will you, my niece."

To live a full, relatively happy life, and die free - that was better than any of them could hope for. The breeze picked up, the torches flickered, and the Keeper looked up again towards the moonlit sky before bowing her head in reflection. She said a few brief words in ancient Elvish to her chosen goddess, Sylaise, and her palm lit up with a warm and calming green light of healing. The three sisters knew better than to interrupt a moment of prophecy and healing with futile questions. Melora reached out to receive the glass of water Lenora poured for her, then lay down against the cushions as another set of contractions passed – thankfully, without further pain. She didn't have the heart to tell Salaine that the child would be human.


	3. Chapter One 3 trails and tears

A few hours later, the weary sisters sat near the trees alongside a hill overlooking the rest of the encampment. The tribe had found a good clearing to settle in for the night; the wide field of prairie grasses was still wet from the recent rains, but was still firm enough for their aravels to rest upon. Most of the Elves were still dancing around a large bonfire and probably would be for some time. Their halla herd had scattered to the surrounding forest and would tend to themselves for a few nights.

Melora gestured at the celebration below, then nodded to her sisters, who looked eager for some fun now that her baby had been delivered safely. "Go ahead and join Salaine, I'll be fine. My daughter and I will rest here. Just don't stay up too late, you two."

She felt even more like a true mother now, and laughed aloud at 12-year old Sefora's pigtails bouncing happily as she skipped down the hillside. The girls had all changed and bathed, and the new babe was swaddled, head nestled comfortably against her chest after her recent feeding. She smiled down at her daughter. As Bann Gerald Franderel's only granddaughter, Eleanor would be well taken care of, regardless of the fact that her mother was an Elf. No one would ever find out the truth unless she told them, for Brendon had died fighting another Orlesian skirmish, and his father had all but given up hope that his older son would ever produce an heir, let alone return from the relative safety of Antiva with his senses intact. The Bann had already given her a large amount of gold and told her to return with the child in three years. He would make up some story about a long lost child of Brendon and a scullery maid who had succumbed to some accidental injuries, brought home to the estate by elves who fulfilled a dying woman's last wish.

She sighed, and kissed the top of her baby's head. A few brief moments of pain, and now this beautiful child was born, who looked nothing like her at all. The fates were definitely tricky.

The holy night's celebration would prove to be very short-lived. Melora and her sisters were awakened by screams, and watched in horror as a dozen heavily armed Chevaliers appeared amongst the small tribe of 60 or so elves, hacking their way through the surprised group like bushmen cutting a swath through the tangled underbrush. They and their vicious war dogs left a river of blood and carnage in their wake. A few of the other elves slipped in it as they attempted to rush towards the safety of the forest. Other elves begged for mercy as they awakened and ventured out from their aravels, but they too were cut down.

Salaine and a small group of hunters attempted to put up a good resistance, but an evil-looking mage froze them with some spell. The hated warriors proceeded to laugh loudly as one chopped off the head of their beloved great-aunt with one swing of his giant war axe. Her lifeblood sprayed across the shemlen's face and his maniacal laughter seemed all the more harsh as the bonfire illuminated his gory features.

Sefora covered her mouth to stifle her screams of fear and outrage, as she looked on from the safety of their tent hidden amongst the trees on the hillside above. She was wide-eyed and tearful, shaking as she clutched Lenora. Thankfully, they had both returned to their eldest sister just a scant two hours before the Chevaliers appeared.

The wind was blowing towards them so the dogs wouldn't pick up their sent very soon. Lenora's gaze had grown cold, and her heart seemed to harden as she refused to look away from the slaughter, jaw clenched in anger.

"Such is the way of this cruel world." Melora mumbled sadly, amazed that her baby was still sleeping soundly. Someone must have known this was a Holy night to the elves and had sent out their so-called crusaders to destroy any who still dared to worship their gods.

"Such is the way of the foul humans, bringing their hate and evil magics to our camp!" came Lenora's vehement reply. The fact that it was whispered didn't mask the depth of feeling it conveyed.

"Let's just get everything ready and travel deeper into the forest for a few days. We'll venture back to Redcliffe after this band of butchers passes through." Though just as shocked, Melora numbed herself to grief and began thinking in practical terms about how she and her girls would survive. They hurriedly gathered their belongings and supplies and helped each other set packs and bedrolls on their backs.

Lenora traveled lightest, as she was their hunter. She had never gotten the chance to receive the sacred face tattoos to signify her devotion to Andruil, but she would do her best to protect them with her bow and daggers should they be ambushed by bandits or wild animals.

Melora clutched her still-sleeping daughter to her bosom and guided the ragtag group of sisters swiftly into the trees through an almost overgrown halla trail, the screams of Elven women being brutally raped by the humans whose armor still ran red from the blood of their husbands and other relatives echoing in their ears. The rest of the forest was eerily silent.


	4. Chapter One 4 ashes

Three days passed. The Southern Adahlelvhenan Dalish tribe, which had already been decimated by plague, war, famine and persecution, was now but a distant memory, ash floating on the wind. Lenora had been brave enough to creep down the hill to start setting fire to the remains that the dreaded wolves had not yet fed upon, and then she and Sefora began looting the tents for whatever supplies they could find to help them through the weeklong journey back to Redcliffe.

Crows and other carrion-eaters circled lazily overhead, screeching their disapproval at being denied their feast. Flies buzzed angrily around the rotting carcasses, and both girls had tied scarves around their faces to help keep out the smell. Sefora spotted an amulet next to a decapitated corpse and knew it had belonged to their aunt. "Should I…?" she glanced towards Lenora, who had just found a stash of Elfroot to add to their collection.

"Yes, take it. The dead don't need trinkets. We'll set fire to the aravels before we leave here, too. Just don't let anyone from the chantry ever see you with that!" Lenora added as a warning, and then sighed deeply as her youngest sister pulled the amulet from the dried bits of blood and gore clinging to it. Though only 15 years old, she felt she had seen enough death and destruction to last many lifetimes.

Melora waved her right arm at them from the hillside above. "We need to go soon, before someone notices the smoke and sends a patrol!" she yelled.

The girls scrambled to find an extra pack to stuff their scavenged supplies into, and then ran back up the hill after Lenora lit a few of the aravels ablaze with her torch. Smoke was soon billowing up into the late afternoon sky, the orange and ochre sunset echoing the brilliant flames crackling below. Melora and her sisters changed into their city-dwelling garb and trudged their way towards the road that would lead them back towards the Imperial Highway and civilization. The baby, Eleanor, whimpered a little but was soon hushed and the three girls paused and maintained a few brief moments of respectful silence. The dead had been honored, in a fashion.


	5. Chapter One 5 whisked away

On a cloudy winter afternoon, a four-year old Eleanor played in the snow with a puppy while two elven attendants looked on. She tripped on her own coattails, then giggled loudly as the dog tackled her playfully.

"So, this is goodbye then? Am I never to see my little sister again?" Lenora tried and failed to keep her hurt and confused feelings from affecting the tone of her questions.

"Oh, you! You know how things are. I cannot pass up this opportunity. How many of us are lucky enough to meet our husbands-to-be before we're whisked away for a quick wedding at an Alienage and to a life of drudgery?" Sefora attempted to dismiss her older sister's anxiety by mocking herself.

Lenora sighed deeply, then rubbed her arms over her threadbare jacket to try and keep warm. "I know, 'Fora. I'm just worried for you. Valendrian seemed to be a very good man when we met him at Redcliffe last year." She shut her eyes and squeezed them tightly, determined not to show the emotions she felt. A single tear escaped nonetheless, so she shook her head and took a deep breath. "I just want the best for you. Melora and I both knew you'd be whisked away some day, you're the pretty one." She chuckled, then smiled wistfully as her younger sister embraced her in a tight hug.

"Thank you, sister. For taking care of me too. Melora sends her greetings and says she'll return from being the village barmaid after the snow melts. You know she hates how cold it gets up here at this estate." She spoke against her sibling's shoulder, then stepped back. Sefora reached into the pocket of her thick woolen skirt and then grabbed the older girl's hand, pressing something into Lenora's palm before closing her fingers over it.

"I want you to keep this. For her. Maybe one day she'll be able to know about us, or maybe her children might." She nodded towards the young child who was gleefully playing in the snow a few feet away. "Promise me, you'll teach her how to fight like you do. Like I never could." The lithe maiden paused, her ebony tresses blowing as the wind picked up. "I know you'll be here for her. You're as strong as dragon bone, stronger than Melora even."

"I, uh. I will. Thank you, and Maker watch over you. I love you, little sister." Lenora stuffed the gift into her jacket and reached out to hug her one last time. "Be well."


	6. Chapter Two 1 no hesitation

Chapter Two – The Battle Maiden

Twelve summers came and went. The echo of heavy plate mail boots against the stone walkway could be heard from across the other end of the Keep near the West Hills early one morning . A bright green-eyed young woman with long, chestnut waves cascading down the back of her modest burgundy and mauve dress sat up, pushed her chair away from the vanity where she was reading and gathered her skirts before walking towards the door of her room.

Which promptly opened inward and stubbed the toe of her new boots. "Ouch! Oooch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch" she squealed, hopping on one foot for a few seconds before regaining her composure.

The Elven chambermaid smiled and couldn't help but release a few giggles after apologizing for the mishap. "My Lady, the Bann sends for you now."

Eleanor laughed at herself and smiled gleefully as she acknowledged the maid she had known her entire life. "G'day, Lenora. Does Nan send any other news from the village?" Nanniva, the former Chantry lay sister / cook who had also been her tutor for the past decade, taught her to always be polite and treat others the way she wished to be treated – even though it was customary to abuse servants and treat them as lesser beings. Nan herself seemed quite gruff and rude with the few elves she knew, but everyone knew it was all for show.

"Yes, My Lady. Your uncle has returned from Antiva and will be here with his new wife and son in a few days. Truth be told, the Bann has been talking to his seneschal, wondering what to do about you."

"Oh! Well, thank you." Politeness had paid off indeed. Eleanor knew her position at Franderel was tenuous at best. As the bastard daughter of the Bann's dead younger son, she was simply a diversion for the old man to dote upon while his older son was abroad, and she'd come to realize that even more keenly over the past two years as she matured into womanhood. The information her maids and tutor shared with her was priceless.

Eleanor often wondered what would become of her if her uncle ever returned to the estate. War still raged across much of the countryside and women of noble blood who were still able to produce an heir were scarce indeed. She had no delusions about her worth, and she was ever grateful that her elf maid had suggested the gruff and worldly but highly intelligent Nanniva to be her tutor since she was nine. And Lenora had secretly taught her some fighting skills every Fall while the rest of the house traveled to Denerim as a defense "just in case" the skeleton staff left behind ever had to play unwanted host to any Orlesian guests looking for easy pickings.

The teenager thought that most of the noble girls who were her age were spoiled and foolish, and knew nothing of the horrors of war unless tragedy stuck their very homes. The last time a Landsmeet was called in secrecy, she had marveled at their vacant stares and talk of silks and shopping in Orlais. Did they not see the roads lined with dead peasants on the way to the city? Had they not wondered what had become of their brothers, fathers, uncles and others who had gone to the Orlesian front lines, forced to supply and defend the territory of the very foreigners who occupied their turf? A few of the other great houses, like hers, were doing well enough, trading with Orlais while under the occupation, but how long would this last until the next uprising would bring more misery?

"I'd better go now. Thanks for the news!" Eleanor turned from her room and moved slowly across the courtyard, head down and hands clasped neatly before her as she walked towards her grandfather's chambers on the other wing of the estate. As she passed the knight's quarters, she could start to hear snippets of some conversation from the open door of one of the receiving halls.

"Err, yes. The Couslands are few and far between now, especially after what King Arland did to you all twenty decades ago. I still remember feeling a chill hit my spine as I read that bit of history. Sad times for Ferelden's nobility and her Grey Wardens, that was." There was no mistaking her grandfather's gravelly yet powerful voice.

The young woman hesitated a bit before approaching the doorway, then stepped forward before announcing herself meekly. "You called for me, grandfather?"

"Ah, here's the lady in question. My dear, may I introduce you to Bryce Cousland, soon to be Teyrn of Highever. Bryce, this is my granddaughter, Eleanor."

"H-how do you do, Your Grace?" She stammered, then smiled as he took her hand and kissed it like a true gentleman. Bryce was clad in heavy silverite plate mail, though his gloves were on the bench beside him. He was rather handsome in spite of his unkempt sandy brown hair, and more importantly, his eyes were kind. She felt instantly at ease, but still wondered when the other shoe would drop. Nan didn't teach simpletons.

"Much better now, thank you." Bryce's voice was very calm and soothing, but she could tell he was a bit nervous. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I just returned from the Orlesian front and have been notified that my father is gravely ill. I am here to ask for your hand in marriage. Would you do me the honor of returning with me to Highever as my wife?"

Eleanor felt like the Maker had given her a grand opportunity. This had to be one of those moments that Lenora was referring to when she advised 'When life throws treasure your way, take it.' Without missing a beat, she reached up again to take his hand, surprising both Bryce and Bann Franderel with her words.

"The honor is mine, Your Grace. I will gladly follow you as your wife." Eleanor gave him a reassuring smile, and his own smile widened in response.

"Well. Well, that's settled then." Her grandfather's eyebrows rose, then he chuckled warmly as he signed several documents with a flourish, rolled them up and handed the sealed contents to a very relieved Bryce Cousland. "You two will be married this evening and a feast will be held in your honor. I have already sent word to Denerim to announce it officially. "

"Thank you. We will leave at daybreak."

"Very good. Reginald will arrive tomorrow afternoon, and it's best you meet your brother after he's assured you lay no claim to the Franderel lands or title, hmmm…?" The Bann was a shrewd businessman and he was no doubt happy to see all of his careful planning come to fruition. His blood would be a part of high nobility, one way or another.

"Yes, of course, Grandfather. May I retain any of my maidservants?"

"Yes, yes, take that elf Lerona or whatever her name is. And your governess, Nan seems to be quite fond of you as well. Let that be part of my gift to you."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, you have taken such good care of me. A thousand thanks to you and the Maker for a fine life." Eleanor moved towards the old man and bent down to hug him where he sat upon an ornately carved yet sturdy oak chair. He beamed his approval and kissed her quickly on the side of her cheek, remembering the young girl in pigtails who would tug on his beard and who had brought joy to his estate with her easy laughter and happy-go-lucky disposition. Yes, she was a by-blow, but that didn't mean he wouldn't miss her presence. The Bann sighed, then dismissed the two with a curt nod.

"I will see you both at the chapel in five hours then."


	7. Chapter Two 2 regrets

Nan grumbled a bit as Lenora insisted that Eleanor bring a bow and arrows with her.

"But you never know what we might encounter on the road!" The elf clenched her jaw and her left fist, adamant in her refusal to leave the ornately carved bow behind.

"By the Maker! If a battle-trained Teyrn and seven of his knights can't protect us, what makes you think it would make any difference, you fool elf?" Nan raised her arms in the air in an exasperated gesture.

Eleanor paused from packing the last of her unmentionables and interrupted the arguing pair. "Oh, come on now, Nan. I think it might be a good idea. After the feast last night, Bryce told me we were in for a dangerous journey. We're going to have to cross part of the coastlands, and there's quite a few bandits there."

"Hmmm, so it's Bryce already, eh?" The tallest woman in the room relented with a teasing chuckle. "Fine, fine, whatever. Just don't expect me to cart it or anything else that doesn't fit in the wagon!"

"Of course not, Nan."

"Let's be off, then. As they say in old Val Royeaux, 'If you ever have regrets in life, let them be for what you've done – and not for what you haven't done.' Hmmph."

Eleanor changed into the gift of cured leather armor the Teyrn had given her while her maids and tutor changed into slightly more rough-cut leathers and boots that Melora had purchased for them at the village general store/armory she and her husband both worked at. The three women carried the last of their gear through the estate's kitchen entrance and piled it into the almost-full wagon before another elf approached Lenora, two young boys in tow.

"A word with my sister please, My Lady?" she asked Eleanor

"By all means, Melora. I doubt we will return here, at least not for quite some time. Please say your goodbyes."

Lenora reached for Melora's arm and walked a few steps away from the wagon, wondering if she'd ever see her older sister again. Though sullied by a shem, Melora had refused to let the past haunt her. After the Bann told her to relinquish all ties with her daughter, she had married a dark-skinned elf who was the smith's servant ten years ago. She had surprised all the region's Elven community by having twins two years afterwards, and the rambunctious duo were already making themselves useful as messenger boys for the village and other outposts near the West Hills.

"This is for the best, I suppose. It's high time I let go anyways. And I know she's in good hands." Melora spoke in a hushed tone as she squeezed her sister's hand. "Thank you, thank you so much for looking after her and all."

"Not to worry. You took care of Sefora and I for so long. And this one's family too, even if she'll never know it," Melora replied as she reached out for a hug. "We're very lucky, in a way." She touched her forehead against her sister's, and then Melora gestured for the two children to come closer. The boys took turns hugging their aunt before she returned to the wagon, helped up to her seat amongst some assorted packs beside Nan by one of the other servants who had gathered to see them off. Lenora felt another wave of sadness wash over her, then felt the warmth of the amulet she wore as it started to emanate waves of comfort and reassurance. She didn't understand why it behaved like that sometimes, but she felt it was the last vestige of her early life and couldn't bear to part with the piece of history. Besides, it never did anything evil, even during her weekly visits to the Chantry.

Bryce Cousland said good morning to his new bride before returning to the front of the group with half of his knights, the other half following behind the wagon. He nodded to his retinue and they set out north towards Highever, just as the sun started to peak up over the hills behind them.

"Goodbye and Maker guide you all!" Melora yelled as she waved to her sister and the daughter she would never truly know.


	8. Chapter Two 3 battle maiden

They hadn't consummated their union yet. That was Eleanor's first thought as they broke for camp that night, alone in the sleeping space they had made for her in the wagon. Nan and her maid were in a tent just an arm's reach away, and the Teyrn and his knights were all gathered around the three females in a protective circle.

Events had progressed very quickly. Eleanor let a soft sigh escape her lips, sleep eluding her for the time being. She thought about the previous night, when she had also stayed up late talking with Bryce. He was indeed a very kind and gentle man, refusing to have his way with her and dispelling her apprehension before she even asked the question. "You are very young, and we have plenty of time. Besides, we should get to know each other better, don't you think?" She had agreed with a shy but relieved smile, and they had talked softly for several hours about the war, the upcoming Feastday, and he answered many questions about how life was in Highever. When a servant entered to light a new set of candles, he apologized for keeping her up so late, and dismissed her with a chaste kiss to the cheek.

She touched the cheek he had kissed and looked up at the bright full moon and twinkling stars, wondering how long this new, excited feeling would last. Eleanor closed her eyes, then stilled as she thought she heard the crackle of twigs snapping in the woods nearby. She gasped as Lenora covered her hand over her mouth. The elf held the index finger of her other hand against her lips, then nodded towards the left side of the camp as Eleanor carefully moved from beneath her covers.

Two scraggly-bearded men could be seen creeping slowly towards the campfire, next to one of the knights who was snoring loudly. She recognized him as ser Matthias, the Teyrn's cousin, and the only one of his men who attended their wedding ceremony. Eleanor gazed further into the darkness and thought she could see the glint of metal amongst the trees, indicating more bandits were probably nearby. The knight who was keeping watch over the camp was patrolling several yards away on the other side of the campfire, oblivious to the encroaching danger.

Lenora reached amongst the packs for her bow and arrows. She handed the precious Ironwood weapon to Eleanor and then pulled two wicked-looking daggers from the same pack before slinking down and disappearing in the dark beneath the wagon again. Eleanor could feel her heart in her throat but refused to hesitate as she strung the bow and moved into position to aim for the closest intruder. At the very least, her arrow might awaken the others to action – without bringing undue attention to her vulnerable position -before the rest of the bandits had chance to surprise their group. Her hands shook a bit, and she tried her control her breathing as she was taught. The new Teyrna aimed with one eye closed and released the first arrow with a satisfied 'schickkth' sound.

Her arrow flew true, and landed in the right eye socket of the first man, who gave a horrified scream as he clutched his head and the offending object now protruding from his skull. As he crumpled to the ground in his final death throes, five of the knights sprang from their bedrolls into action, armed with swords and daggers as they charged towards the other man and his comrades in the trees nearby. Bryce and the remaining two Knights took up position close to the wagon, weapons at the ready in case more interlopers should appear.

The battle was over quickly, as the half-starved band of murdering thieves proved to be no match for the Teyrn's warriors. Eleanor climbed down from the wagon and stood next to her husband, still clutching the bow by her side. Lenora crawled from beneath the wagon to the tent she shared with Nan, who was still rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"This one's been felled by an arrow, right through his eye socket. Who's got a bow here?" yelled one of the knights. Bryce looked at Eleanor with admiration as the men informed him of their kills.

"I believe the battle maiden next to me is responsible," the Teyrn replied, smiling down at his wife. He leaned towards to her, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Beautiful, graceful, AND a deadly warrior? I've certainly found a treasure." She remained silent, but returned his smile with an easy grin.

He continued, "We'll need every capable warrior we have, especially if Maric has his way. I'm behind the King and it's made me somewhat unpopular amongst a few of the other nobles who want to play it safe, but I'll do whatever it takes to see our land freed. And any woman who is able to defend herself is a welcome asset to our cause."

Bryce then clapped his hands loudly before addressing his entourage. "Alright, men! Let's double the guard duty and try to get some sleep. We'll start out at first light!"

The rest of the night was uneventful, but Eleanor still kept the elven bow next to her side, just in case. She was glad to learn that her husband supported the rebel king, the rightful heir to the Ferelden throne.


	9. Chapter Two 4 awkward moments

The castle was still in a somber mood, having buried the old Teyrn only a month earlier. Eleanor had learned much about her new family's history, and was surprised that Bryce's father had even survived being massacred along with the rest of his kin at the last Orlesian siege of the castle. If you could call limping around with only one leg and suffering from a mysterious wasting disease surviving. Perhaps the man had lived out of sheer stubbornness, determined to see his son grow and prosper despite having such an unfortunate event haunt Bryce's childhood.

She hurried towards the kitchen, eager to see what Nan had been complaining about earlier that day. Lenora would usually attend to such matters, but her lady-in-waiting had been sent to Highever town to bear witness to a land dispute being arbitrated by the Mayor. She would be returning later that day with some records and other supplies, and Eleanor was grateful for her assistance with such matters in the absence of a seneschal.

"I think there's rodents in the larder!" Nan yelled, clearly stricken. "And the help won't venture in again 'til they've been cleared out!"

"Oh, for the love of…! Oh. Just wait, I'll get one of the knights to dispatch them in a few moments. Try not to make such a fuss!" Eleanor replied. The castle was in dire need of a woman's touch, and the new Teyrna's life was extremely busy.

Bryce had told her that getting the castle back into shape would not be an easy chore. He had ventured eastward to visit his friend Rendon Howe in Amaranthine before the snows started, leaving her with a small contingent of knights and a huge list of things that needed to be done. At first, the staff had seemed hesitant to accept orders from the 16 year-old, Teyrna or not, but she quickly won over their confidence with her easy demeanor and willingness to accept suggestions.

She gathered her skirts and walked quickly down the corridor towards the Captain of the guard's rooms and knights quarters.

"Oh, ser Matthias! Just the man I was looking for!" She almost ran into her husband's cousin as he was conversing with a guard posted near the main entrance hall.

"My Lady! And how might I be of service?" ser Matthias bowed in almost-mock submission. Eleanor was very glad that Bryce had decided to charge him with defending and assisting her. At 25, he was the youngest of Highever's knights and closest to her own age. Ser Matthias also seemed a little less jaded to her than the other castle residents. He shared her enthusiasm for getting the castle in order as quickly as possible, and she welcomed his company.

"Unfortunately, not the most glamorous of battles awaits. But it must be fought nonetheless." She discussed the situation with him and as they headed towards the kitchen, he yelled for another two guards to assist should any rodents try to escape their impending slaughter.

Once the grisly chore was over and the carcasses disposed of, Nan pulled her aside again as the knights returned. The servants were being fetched to clean up and start dinner preparations.

"My Lady, you know I must speak my mind with you." She started.

"Yes, Nan. I wouldn't have it any other way. You have known me since I was a toddler, and I trust your advice."

The cook took a deep breath. "Well, I've got to let you know, some of the servants are starting to talk. About ser Matthias. And the way he looks at you."

"What? He looks at me…really, what's all this about?"

"Look here, young Lady. I know you can't be that naïve. We all know that the Teyrn is eleven years your senior, and even if he is rather handsome and fit, he's not always here. "

"But that's….!" Eleanor tried to interrupt.

"Now, now. Let me finish. I know you'd never do anything….improper. You were raised to be a Lady. Just trust me when I say to be mindful of how you treat him, and try not to be seen spending any time alone. I, I would just hate for any idle talk about you and the good knight to get to the Teyrn's ears, unfounded or no."

"I…don't know what to say." Eleanor sighed. "Thanks for letting me know about this, though. I will do my best to avoid causing a scandal."

Another four months passed before a messenger brought news that the Teyrn was safe and would be returning soon. Eleanor read the short note again before folding it up and placing it under her blouse.

"The road has been harsh, but we make progress for our nation and our future. Our new friend Rendon Howe is in charge of Amaranthine now, and his traitorous, Orlais-loving father's body still swings from the hangman's noose atop the main gates of Harpers Ford. It is a garish testament to all would-be traitors, be they of noble blood or not. Mark my words – Ferelden will be free. It may take a few more years, but we will once again see a Theirin upon the throne. I send my love, and will return to you within a fortnight. - Bryce"

She wasn't about to complain of the day-to-day annoyances she endured while tending to the needs of the castle and nearby town. Eleanor was sure that he was dealing with much bigger problems. She tapped her fingers on the small cork table in the atrium where she had sat down to read the sealed letter, then looked up with surprise to see ser Matthias entering the main hall. She got up to go, prepared to mumble some hurried excuse about retrieving records from the library before he stopped her, eyes pleading for a moment of her time.

"My Lady, please. Have I done anything to offend you?"

"What? No! No, not at all, ser Matthias."

"Pardon me, but it appears you have been avoiding me this past week, and I.."

"Oh, Matthias." She sighed heavily and looked down, unsure of what to say next.

"It's just – I want you to know, Bryce charged me with your care and practically ordered me to get to know you better and see to your every comfort. This past week, I've felt lax in my duties as your knight and not sure how to remedy the situation."

"He did what? Why didn't he just tell me?"

"Yes, I realize now this puts us in a somewhat awkward situation. You have my sincere apologies, My Lady, for any misunderstandings."

"No, no apologies are necessary. I'm sure you two have a special bond, being the last of the Couslands. You're a very kind, honorable man, and I'm sorry if my actions have caused you to doubt yourself."

"He should be here in no less than three days now, judging by the date on my letter. Did you know he and this Arl Howe actually travelled south to Gwaren and met with King Maric?"

"Truly? This is indeed exciting news. Perhaps if we can unify Ferelden's nobility, in time we can put up enough of a fight and cast these Orlesians out for good!" She couldn't help but share his enthusiasm.

"Yes, it won't be easy. And it will take some time to prepare. But I plan to be there when it happens, fighting right by Bryce's side, Maker protect us." Ser Matthias held the door open for her as she returned to the hallway and headed towards the atrium.

"Well, when my husband returns, let's all three set down and have a nice chat, shall we?" Eleanor suggested.

"I …we'd like that very much. We'll have many things to discuss when he returns. Until then, I leave you to your tasks… you know, you're a fine Teyrna. Everyone appreciates what you've done for our castle and the town already. Don't ever doubt yourself either….and don't make yourself so scarce, please?"

Eleanor smiled as they reached the library entrance. "I've missed your counsel, ser Matthias. Thank you, for everything."


	10. Chapter Three 1 every comfort

Chapter Three – Secrets & Lies

Bryce Cousland returned three days later, travel-weary and very relieved to see that both Highever and his wife had done well in his absence. It seemed that she had matured both physically and emotionally in six months, not as shy or hesitant about sharing her opinions with him and the historian he had retained to be the castle's new librarian, Brother Aldous. Still, as they headed to their rooms that evening after dinner and wine, he was somewhat surprised when she asked if she could join him for the night.

"Is this truly what you wish?" He didn't want to appear over-eager.

"I am quite certain, dear. We have been apart for some time. And all this talk of impending battles and preparations to restore our kingdom….an heir would be most welcome, don't you think?" Eleanor's words were hurried and she was certainly nervous, but she wasn't about to back down.

Bryce looked into her eyes, the color of new spring grass, and smiled as he wrapped his left arm around her small waist. He caressed the side of her face very softly for a moment before kissing her slowly. She brought her arms up around his shoulders in response, and he guided them both toward the open bedroom door.

They were both breathless by the time they reached his bed with its new rich, deep blue velvet coverlet. He broke the kiss, running his right hand through her soft brown hair.

"Wait…there's something I must tell you."

"Yes? I'm listening."

"You mentioned having an heir. That's what I want too, but that may prove to be…. difficult." He took a deep breath before continuing. "About six years ago, I was fighting near the Hafter River with some of the other Banns when I was shot by several arrows. I very nearly died. And… one of the arrows came near to my manhood."

Eleanor gasped then, and clutched him closer as his grey eyes seemed to cloud with remembered pain.

"The healers did very well, and I'm able to… well… function just fine. And hope to give you all the pleasure you deserve. I just want you to understand that the healers told me it might be… difficult for me to sire an heir. Perhaps even impossible." He stopped, looking downward, expecting to see rejection and hurt in her eyes at his news.

She tilted his head back up with her left hand and kissed him again. "Bryce. You're my husband. I know that must have been difficult for you to say. But let there be no secrets between us. We will certainly try our best to have an heir, right?"

She continued, thinking quickly, "Is this why you charged ser Matthias to 'see to my every comfort'?" she lifted one eyebrow as she asked him the question in all seriousness, but couldn't refrain from laughing at the guilty look of dismay he returned.

Bryce laughed with her for several seconds before recovering. "Yes, yes, my dear. You are as intelligent as you are lovely. My good cousin agreed to step forward and perform his duties in continuing the Cousland family line if I were… unable to do so."

"I'm sorry. I should have told you this sooner." He sighed, then drew her near for an embrace.

"Not to worry, we had precious little time together, you and I." She replied, her words half-muffled against his chest. She turned her head to the side and squeezed him tightly, glad that he was being open and honest with her about matters of such a delicate nature.

Eleanor kissed him once more before adding, "But let's just focus on us first, shall we? I'm 17, we still have plenty of time. I'd like to know more about what it means to be your wife before we explore any other …options, hmmm?"

The Teyrn and Teyrna of Highever spent their first night together in the newly-restored castle, thoughts of battle and their country's survival temporarily forgotten as they simply enjoyed each other's intimate company.


	11. Chapter Three 2 loose granite

Just a few steps down the hall and to the right, the Teyrna's lady-in-waiting could be heard sobbing into a handkerchief. The yellowed and stained piece of wrinkled parchment next to her on the nightstand was dated weeks earlier and the ink had run, but its message was still clear:

"It is with much regret and sadness that I inform you of your sister and my wife's death. Sefora and our daughter did not survive childbirth. Both were cremated in chantry fashion and are remembered with a marker on the eastern foothills of Dragon's Peak. Please send news to Melora, and may the Maker watch over us all. Should you ever have cause to visit Denerim, know that I have been appointed as Hahren and will do my best to see to the needs of you and the rest of her family. Yours truly, Valendrian."

Lenora clutched the amulet around her neck, remembering it was the last thing that Sefora had touched before gifting it to her. It would be too painful to wear it every day and be constantly reminded of her youngest sister. She took it off, kissed it, and placed it underneath a loose piece of granite she had found as she was sweeping beneath the nightstand several weeks earlier. The elf knew she wouldn't be able to travel to the West Hills area to send news to Melora until after the spring floods in a few months. It was still quite cold in Highever, despite the warming influence of the Waking Sea. Lenora shuffled over to the fireplace, added some more wood and climbed back into the bed, crying herself to sleep.


	12. Chapter Three 3 duty

"Eleanor, it's been four years. And I'm not getting any younger," Bryce had told her that morning, holding her closely.

She finally agreed to the arrangement after insisting that both ser Matthias and her husband be present to discuss the details with her. The knight would visit her in the guestroom in the early hours of at least two mornings a week while he was at the castle, until she became pregnant.

Ser Matthias had reassured her that he was wholly interested in ensuring their family's survival, and wanted no part of their title or claim to any lands. Bryce and he had already come to an agreement – the Teyrn would be the child's only father. The knight only wanted to fight and die for Ferelden and Highever, and if his duties included this… well, he wasn't about to shirk his responsibilities in that regard, either.

Six months later, as the leaves started changing to gold and orange and the Banns reported a bountiful harvest, there was no longer any way she could deny it. The tears began falling in earnest as ser Matthias touched his palm to her abdomen and began caressing the slight bulge of her belly. He kissed her eyelids and the tears escaping from their corners, then hugged her close to him. The two lovers simply lay there in the guest bed, trying to hold on to their last moments together. He kissed her ear and whispered softly to her

"I am overjoyed that we will have a child, but saddened that this duty has pained you so. I never meant for you to be hurt, Eleanor." The Grey Warden recruiter's visit to Highever town had been most fortuitous, as he had been hoping to find some excuse to leave. Any battle would be welcome, but this feeling of being torn between duty and honor to the cousin he loved and falling in love with said cousin's wife was unbearable. Perhaps some would call him a coward, if anyone else knew. But his men, the knights, castle guards, infantry and other fighters that he had trained and led were oblivious, and simply thankful that he had volunteered to become a Warden. They wouldn't have to be conscripted and leave their families behind, after all. Let them believe what they would.

She was silent for a few moments, willing herself not to cry outright. Eleanor squeezed him tightly, then relaxed limply, as if exhausted. "I know. I should feel ashamed that I love you so, but I cannot. I will not be sorry. And seeing you leave will break my heart." The Teyrna murmured into the knight's broad chest.

Truth be told, she had felt torn the last few months. There was no doubt that she loved her husband deeply and enjoyed the intimate moments they shared. But she also cared very deeply for this man, his cousin. Would she think of him every time she looked into her child's eyes? Would her baby have his thick, dark wavy hair or show a dimple in his cheek when he smiled, just like Matthias? Was she a vulgar trollop to have enjoyed their lovemaking so much? Too many questions, too many feelings. She began crying, her body shaking with her soft sobs.

"You will always have my heart, Eleanor. Be strong, my love." He gathered her in his arms again and positioned her smaller body so she lay on top of him as she cried. Ser Matthias kissed her forehead and held her there for another two hours before they parted ways.

Eleanor returned to her own bedchambers and washed in cold water, the icy sting helping to numb her emotions a bit. Bryce would be returning from his three-week visit to Gwaren that day, and he would no doubt be overjoyed to hear the news. She carefully unbraided her hair, brushed it, and donned the green gown that was his favorite. It was already a bit snug, and the plunging neckline accentuated her curves. He would want to celebrate his new trade contracts, and she was going to make sure he enjoyed every moment of their reunion.


	13. Chapter Three 4 clear conscience

Bryce did not take kindly to the news that his cousin, confidant and most trusted man-at-arms would be leaving to join the Grey Wardens. The man chose to give the unwelcome news to the Teyrn that morning over breakfast in the study.

"Must you do this now? We are so close to being able to pull Ferelden out of the clutches of Orlais! I…I need you by my side, Matthias!" Bryce was almost shouting, and Eleanor cringed in the cushions next to him, clutching fiercely to the arm of the couch as she witnessed this rare emotional outburst.

But ser Matthias stood calmly, arms crossed at his chest before replying patiently. "No, Bryce. No, you do not need me."

The younger man was wearing a thin cotton shirt and leggings along with his best dragonbone plate boots. He began noisily pacing the edge of the sitting room, pausing to look at the couple seated before the fireplace as he continued: "I have trained many of our men. Your men. You will be victorious whenever the king decides to make his move, of that I am certain of. But this….this situation…" He sighed deeply, stopped and looked at Bryce. "I cannot continue staying here with you and the Lady and keep a clear conscience. My honor demands that I leave, and quickly."

Bryce covered his face with his hands and rubbed his forehead, copying his cousin's sigh. There was no point in protesting any further.

"Then I apologize, cousin." The Teyrn turned to his wife. "I apologize to both of you."

Eleanor shook her head, laying a hand on her husband's forearm. "No, Bryce. You don't have to say anything else. This is not your fault. We agreed to it beforehand. Things just seem… complicated now. But we will get through this."

Bryce smiled sadly at his wife. "Then it seems I gain a child and lose my cousin." He pushed himself up off of the couch and walked towards ser Matthias.

The older man reached out to hug his taller cousin, remembering how inseparable the two of them had been, both before and after surviving the murder of almost their entire family. He still remembered how he used to tease the boy, calling him 'half-knife-ears' since his mother was an elf. And he remembered how difficult it was to coax Matthias out from trying to sleep under the bed for the first few months after the massacre, or every time he heard the sound of armored Chevaliers running across the castle's cobblestones for almost a year afterward. And how eagerly his cousin learned how to fight as soon as he was able to properly hold a sword and shield.

"I will miss you too, Bryce. Highever couldn't ask for a better Teyrn" The two men embraced warmly, then shook hands.

"There is no doubt that the Grey Wardens will be gaining a great warrior to fight whatever blighted evil attempts to accost this land. I know you will have to be neutral in the fight against Orlais, but please do me a favor and knock a few bastards off their horses if you see them headed our way, hmmm?" The Teyrn laughed, glad to at least part with him on friendly terms.

Matthias smiled and laughed in return. "Aye, that I will. You have been a brother to me; nay, more. I will always care for you and our family. Maybe I'll even be able to visit someday. Eventually." The Knight still doubted his late uncle's favorite saying that 'time heals all wounds'. He felt as if the hurt in his heart would never go away.

"Goodbye, Matthias." Eleanor smiled, walking across the room to stand at her husband's side. She and her part-time lover had already said their goodbyes. And she had prayed to the Maker with Nan that afternoon, asking him for strength and guidance to get through this difficult time. It seemed He had heard her plea, as she was able to squeeze the knight's hand one last time as he walked towards the castle's front entrance, and she did not burst into tears.

Ser Matthias donned his breastplate and gloves, then the couple followed him to the courtyard to see him off as he joined the Orlesian Grey Warden who had recruited him. The two men would be travelling to the Wardens' outpost in Val Royeaux as soon as ser Matthias passed some sort of joining ritual. The Teyrna maintained her poise and waved goodbye with Bryce's arm around her shoulders as their soldiers and guards all gathered to wish him well. "Maker speed your way!"


	14. Chapter Three 5 healthy set of lungs

"Really? I can't believe it's time. Has it been almost seven months already? By Andraste's Tears, Harold, what do I do?"

A panic-stricken Teyrn gulped the remains of his glass of wine, then jumped up from his chair in the great hall and accosted his seneschal with questions as soon as the pageboy told him the news. The papers and maps he had been studying were now scattered to the floor.

"My Lord, the Teyrna's ladies, attendants, and the healer have things well under control. There is nothing for you to do but wait." The older man smiled, remembering the birth of his own two children with fondness. "And believe me, I know it is difficult. But you'll just be in the way if you try to go to her chambers, Your Grace."

"Yes, yes. I suppose you're right." Bryce Cousland bent to retrieve the documents, then started pacing the length of the hall after he placed them back on the small table next to his empty glass of wine. He was not good at waiting. Harold, ever the faithful seneschal, filled the Teyrn's glass again and waited patiently with him for the next two hours.

Suddenly, the wails of a newborn babe at the other side of the castle could be heard through the open doors. The Teyrn did not need to wait for the news, he simply ran toward the bedchambers, almost crashing into one of the maids who was carrying a large basket of linens.

Nan beamed up at him as he entered, gesturing towards Eleanor and the child she held, wrapped in a blanket. "Sire, I'm pleased to announce that you have fathered a son. With a very healthy set of lungs, it seems."

He had eyes only for his wife, though. She smiled up at him and held out her hand, beckoning him to move closer. She seemed tired, but very happy.

"Thank you for giving me such a beautiful baby boy, Bryce." He sat on the bed next to her and gently touched his son's head. The child had stopped crying and was now looking up at him. Nan shooed the servants out of the room and closed the door behind her as she left, giving the family some moments of privacy. The Teyrn kissed his wife softly on her cheek, then gently kissed the newborn's forehead.

"He's so tiny. I…I'm almost afraid to touch him!" He exclaimed, then laughed at his foolish remark. "My love, it is I who should be thanking you. I am glad I didn't run off to fight at the West Hills with the rest of our men this time. This brings me so much joy!"

"Have you decided what we will name him?" She asked, touching the side of his face with a fond smile.

"Yes, yes I have. Fergus Abernathy was an uncle of mine. He fought against the Orlesians so Matthias and I had time to run away and hide. He was very brave. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here now." He looked to Eleanor, who nodded slowly.

"Then Fergus it is. Fergus Cousland, may you do our family proud. Maker Guide your way, my son." The Teyrna kissed her babe before handing him off to Bryce, the faint pang of guilt at hearing Matthias's name overshadowed by her pride and happiness at being able to provide her husband with an heir.

Bryce's eyes widened in awe as Fergus reached out of his blanket to close a tiny fist over his father's index finger. As the fire crackled behind him, the nobleman silently thanked the Maker, vowing that his son would grow up in a Ferelden free of tyranny.


	15. Chapter Three 6 tireless

Eleven years later, a distressed Eleanor could be heard raising her voice in dismay at her husband's latest announcement. Her memories of the intense fear she felt while she waited at the castle for news during the battle of the White River and her immense relief upon her husband's return with only seven of his men were still quite fresh. Much of the region's male population had died during that battle, and even though the country had finally gained their independence at the battle of River Dane, Highever and the Bannorn were still struggling to recover from the cost of the battles of the West Hills and White River. And Bryce still cursed himself for not personally being there with his men when the rebel army has suffered heavy losses at the West Hills.

Teyrn Cousland had been tireless in his efforts – first as a diplomat, then as a negotiator of various trade contracts and other agreements with the Tevinter Imperium, Orlais, Antiva, Rivain, Seheron, Nevarra, and a few other clans of the Free Marches to bring them to prosperity again. But did he even understand how difficult it was to raise a young boy and see to the needs of her castle, the town, and various other villages at the same time? The Couslands had earned the respect and admiration of the Bannorn as well as their neighboring nations, but at what cost? And no matter how friendly he seemed, Eleanor couldn't bring herself to fully trust the man who turned on his own kin in the past war. Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine seemed to be taking up a great deal of her husband's times with his constant need for help in trade negotiations at his port city.

"Please, Bryce! Must we part ways already? Do you know, I've only seen you five weeks out of this entire year? Our country needs you, but so do I. We…your family…needs you. Please!"

Their son stopped playing with a wooden wagon and set of toy soldiers strewn about the floor in front of the fireplace and looked up at his parents.

"Oh, Eleanor." The Teyrn replied, then reached out to gently grasp his wife's shoulders with both of his hands. He glanced toward his son, then sighed as he hugged his wife towards him. "No, you're right. You are absolutely right, love. I do miss you both, and want to spend more time with you. And I promise, when I return from Nevarra with Rendon in three months, I will stay here with you for a while. I will take both of you with me on my travels from then on. But I must go on this trip now – the future of our nation depends on how well we can trade with our neighbors. You know this, darling!"

"Yes, yes, I know this. But I will hold you to those words, husband. And I will visit the Bann of South Reach during your absence, just as you've asked." Eleanor Cousland often visited the various members of the Bannorn, passing along welcome news and tips for a bountiful harvest. Now that the country was growing and producing for itself again, everyone seemed to be taking a renewed interest in increasing their wealth, sometimes at the expense of their adjacent neighbors. As Teyrna, she was often called upon to arbitrate various disputes and other skirmishes as some of the greedier Banns sought to stake their claim on the choicest, most fertile lands. The stubborn noblewoman kissed her husband and continued, "Now, let us enjoy this night together, shall we?"

"Ah, I was hoping you'd say that," Bryce teased her, then dodged a playful slap. He proceeded to help his son gather up his toys, telling the boy it was time for bed. He then called for Lenora to regale his son with another one of the adventurous Elven tales that Fergus enjoyed hearing every night before he headed off to sleep.

The Teyrn and his wife enjoyed a few intimate moments that night together. All too soon, the town Chantry's bells could be heard ringing, urging the townsfolk to attend morning prayers. Eleanor and Fergus waved goodbye to Bryce an hour later. He wasn't sure if he was more saddened by the fact that he was being forced to actually ride a horse to make up for lost time, or that he wouldn't be seeing his beloved family for another three months.


	16. Chapter Three 7 tears of the sky

Two and a half weeks passed, and Eleanor cursed her decision to travel south as she viewed the dark clouds gathering in the sky. A wickedly strong wind had started to blow debris across the road. They had been travelling directly south for the past three days, cutting through the endless fields of the Bannorn. Thankfully, Lenora, Fergus, and the two guards she brought with her from Highever were now traveling along the Imperial Highway for the remainder of this journey. There was always some small town or outpost nearby for passersby to seek shelter. As if conjured by her thoughts of shelter, the village of Lothering appeared around the next corner, horses and wagons parked near the ancient walled highway just outside the town proper.

Moments later, the weary band of Northerners were settled into two adjacent rooms of the aptly-named Dane's Refuge. After Lenora tucked Fergus into the smallest of three beds and then quickly fell asleep herself, the Teyrna crept downstairs to the tavern's receiving hall. For some reason, she was feeling restless. There was no one else awake as the storm raged outside, so the noblewoman was left to her own devices as she listened to a lone bard's lively tunes. She was already on her third glass of Antivan red wine and absent mindedly tracing the grooves that previous customers had carved into the pine table when someone lightly touched her shoulder.

"By the Maker! Is it really you, My Lady?" Eleanor turned in her chair and stared speechless at the stranger who dared to touch her. Then she looked more closely. His eyes were darker and he seemed more haggard. Streaks of gray now marred the perfectly dark, wavy hair at his temples, and he had a somewhat scraggly beard, but there was no doubting it. This was the father of her child.

"Matthias? Matthias!" She jumped up from the table and hugged him tightly, surprising them both with the fierceness of her embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again!" She rested her head against his chest, breathing in the smell of musk and forest that emanated from his drakeskin armor. She wondered at his current state, and was about to start asking the questions that rose from the depths of her mind until she was silenced by a finger against her lips.

"My Lady, I have precious little time left. Will you join me in my quarters where we can speak privately?"

The Teyrna had a brief moment of hesitance before she realized that no one in this humble place knew who she was. And the way ser Matthias was staring at her, as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered…. she quickly nodded her head in agreement, then followed him as he led her to a room upstairs, on the opposite side of the floor from her own.

It was a smaller room, but above the kitchen, so it was warm even without the light and crackle of a fireplace. She walked to the far side of the room and glanced out the window before spotting a chair that was next to the small bathtub. As she dragged it closer to the bed, her former knight lit a few candles, sat on the worn but thankfully clean bed near her, and began a tale that shocked her to the core. He had been through some horrifying experiences, fighting the evil Darkspawn creatures in the Anderfels before returning to Orlais to investigate a dragon cult, then travelling back home to Ferelden with a commander named Genevieve. But what was most disturbing was his insistence that the Grey Wardens were being betrayed from someone within their circle. And then he told her of The Calling.

"I do not know how, or why, but it has happened. Twenty years too soon, I hear The Call. I feel my body changing, and I know I must go to the Deep Roads now, to put an end to this….this existence. Before I become one of the very ghouls I've hunted this past decade." He paused, gripping the black amulet around his neck tightly. "So I left them. I don't know and don't care what they are going to do next, but I know I'm not going to be any part of it."

He paused, clearly overcome with emotion. "My Lady, I feel so… so… helpless! There is so much I still want to do! This is driving me mad. Eleanor, I was a fool for ever leaving you and Castle Cousland!"

Eleanor nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. This was no happy reunion. Perhaps the Maker had indeed answered Matthias' prayers that he could see his beloved's face one last time. She didn't know what to think, but she felt her heart breaking all over again. Matthias wept openly, then leaned forward, putting his head against his legs. She got up from her chair and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him as best as she could. The man reached out blindly and then wrapped his arms around her waist, sobbing against her belly.

She couldn't help herself. She just had to bend down and kiss the top of his head. Then his forehead, after he wiped away his tears with the back of one hand and looked up at her with the most vulnerable expression she had ever seen. Then his lips. The lips she remembered from so many years ago. The kisses that felt so wonderful, so right.

The two adults were soon struggling to remove their garments as passion overtook them both. At first the pace was hurried, then almost painfully slow as Matthias began greedily kissing every inch of her perfumed body, as if she was his last meal. It seemed that every sensation was heightened, every touch upon her skin an exquisite torture that turned into a blinding pleasure as he entered her, calling her name with each thrust. She lost count of how many times she climaxed as she reveled in the feelings that this man ignited in her.

But it was over all too soon, and she again lay in his arms, sobbing softly. Just as she had twelve years ago. This time, he was the one to tighten his embrace before speaking quietly into her ear.

"Do not think of me after today. Do not let anyone know of our encounter," he insisted. "And my love… there must not be a child. Promise me, you will find and take the herbs to prevent childbirth upon the morrow."

"Wh-what? Why?" She was confused, and pulled away from him a little to get a better look at his face.

"Eleanor, it is very difficult for a Grey Warden to have a child. But sometimes, when it happens, the result is not pleasant. The child could be born consumed by the taint, and become nothing more than an abomination. I…I've only witnessed it once, and it was heart-wrenching for both the mother and us, to have to destroy it. But it was an evil, twisted thing."

"You mean…you…you had to murder a newborn baby?" Shock and dismay marred her features for a brief moment before he clarified.

"Mind you, that was only after the creature nearly killed one of my brethren and severely wounded me, too. I have the scar to prove it." He finished. She traced her hand around the deep scar he gestured to, just under his left rib cage. There were five miniscule claw marks surrounding a gouge in his skin, as if some tiny hand had tried to reach into his chest and scoop out his vitals.

"Merciful Maker!" she exclaimed. "I…I will do as you ask. All of it. Though I doubt you need worry about that. I am certainly no Spring chicken." It was her turn to wipe the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Was it already getting light outside? No, it was the storm. Lightning could be seen striking against the distant landscape through the window, a spectacular display of the elements that seemed all the more distressing as he got up from the bed and appeared to be getting ready to travel.

"Must you leave already, in this weather? Do you even want to see our son?" She asked quietly. She did not want to start crying again. There were no regrets. The Teyrna thought of herself as a strong woman, so that is what she would be from now on.

"No, I must go. It is The Calling. I hear it…and I cannot endure much longer. I will leave, quickly. Please stay in this room as long as you like, it is paid for the next three days. I will tell a maid that I've relinquished my room to you and will have her send up a hot bath." Ser Matthias quickly washed his face using cold water from a pitcher on the battered night stand, then donned his clothes and light armor, pausing to look at her from time to time.

She pulled the sheets up to her chin and simply stared at him, silent at last. Was it her imagination, or did his hair seem to have even more grey in it than just a few hours ago? No, there was no doubt. He was aging right before her eyes. He stepped into his boots and bent down to pick up his pack and bedroll. Matthias then bent down on one knee beside the bed and reached for Eleanor's hand one last time, kissing it gently.

"Forgive me. I will always love you, My Lady. Never doubt that. Maker watch over you and the Teyrn, and our son. Here, take this." He pressed a small silver pendant with some sort of yellow-colored gem into her palm. "I found this at some Elven ruins in Nevarra a few years ago, and an old Elf-woman said I should give it to the one I loved."

"Oh, Matthias, I love you. Thank you, I will treasure it. There's nothing to forgive. I pray that you be relieved of your torment soon. Maker guide your steps."

Upon hearing her reply, he quickly got up from the floor, clasped his fist to his breastplate above his heart, and bowed at the waist in a final salute. He donned his weapons and reached for the door knob, stealing one last glance at her before stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later, the Teyrna pressed her nose against the thin glass of the window, this time glad to see the lightning brighten up the nightscape for a few brief moments. She could barely make out a small, dark, leather-clad figure hurrying towards the road. With the next flash of light, he was gone.

She gathered the sheet around herself as a maid timidly knocked to announce the arrival of her bathwater and fresh linens. Eleanor waited on the bed as two young elves rushed back and forth with buckets of hot water, filling the tub in no time. He must have paid them extra to rouse the entire housekeeping staff out of their beds this stormy night, she surmised. Then she was left to her own thoughts. As she sunk into the warm, lilac-scented bathwater, she heard the first few drops of rain hitting the window. The Teyrna sighed deeply. She didn't have to cry any more. The sky was doing that for her.


	17. Chapter Three 8 broken promises

Eleanor broke the first part of her promise as she woke her son and Lady-in-waiting that morning, urging them to hurry and resume their travels after a quick meal. She was intent on forgetting the events of the previous night and did not want to ask Lenora about any birth preventatives. Not now. It would lead to awkward questions. It was bad enough that she had to lie about how she ended up in the room across the hall, stating that she just needed some time alone and the tavern owner offered the extra room. After gathering the two guards, they headed along the road towards South Reach, and the Teyrna decided that if by some miracle she did have a child, she would do everything within her power to ensure it did not have to be slaughtered as an abomination.

The group made good time and so the Teyrna met with Arl Leonas Bryland and his wife the next day, assuaging any concerns he had about losing land near the Hinterlands. Eleanor stayed at their estate for a week before lamenting that she had to return to her other subjects. The Arlessa and she had become good friends, doting after Fergus and indulging his every whim as he ran playfully around the grounds. The couple even loaded a wagon with gifts of cherries and other fruits from their orchards to bring back to Highever.

"Just send the wagon and horse to the Waking Sea estate in a few days, Your Grace. Bann Alfstanna has promised to supply us with enough seed to fill the Southron hills with fields of wheat in time for the next harvest. You'll be doing us a favor!" The Arlessa insisted.

"Alright, don't twist my arm or anything," Eleanor laughed in reply. "I'll send a messenger your way as soon as I return home. Thank you ever so kindly for your hospitality."

"It was our pleasure!" exclaimed the Arl. "South Reach will always welcome you and your husband!" The Arlessa added, waving goodbye to the group as they headed down the highway back towards Lothering. Eleanor had to admit that it was much easier to travel in the wagon, especially with her son accompanying them.

Two months later, Eleanor Cousland broke the second part of her promise after she missed her menses again. She could no longer ignore the slight but noticeable swell of her belly as she donned her gowns that morning. The Captain of the Guard's messenger had reported that the Teyrn would be returning that day. So she decided to confide in her longtime friend and Lady-in-waiting.

Lenora heard her tale, eyes widening in disbelief that she had been impregnated after only one night with ser Matthias. "Are you quite SURE it's not the Teyrn's child?" she asked finally.

"Yes, I am quite certain. Bryce and I…we tried for so very long. And I have lain with him hundreds of times in the past few years, and still no child. Besides, he is much older now." The Teyrna replied.

"Well, let's just keep this between us, then. This is indeed a miracle child. Just be happy for you and for the Teyrn." The elf paused, reaching out to touch Eleanor's shoulder with reassurance. "We WILL find a way to deliver it safely into this world."

"Oh, truly?" The noblewoman breathed a sigh of relief. "Please, Lenora, find out what the Dalish might say about this. Surely this sort of thing has happened before. But you're right - we can't let anyone else know of our concern. I will simply pray every day that my fears are ungrounded." She sat up from her vanity and prepared herself to meet her husband.

"Thank you, for being a dear friend. And for listening to my plight. It's good to know I'm not alone."She added.

"Nay, My Lady. You have treated me well. And I have known you since you were babe. Tis an honor to assist you in any way I can." The elf knew she would travel to the West Hills to give Melora the news soon. She would be so excited to know that her only daughter was going to have another child! The elf remembered the prophecy their Keeper had foretold so many years ago, and knew that the noblewoman did not need to be afraid. But she couldn't tell her that now. She walked beside her mistress as she headed towards the front doors, where the sound of several knights gathering in the courtyard signaled the Teyrn's arrival.

Bryce Cousland beamed with pride and joy as his wife stood before him, one hand on her navel as she gave him the news of their miracle. He was 44, and she was 33, but they were going to have a child again. His child. How could he not be happy? He hugged her close, then picked his wife up off of her feet, surprising them both with his boldness as his men cheered him on. He vowed to stay with her for the next year and be with her during her pregnancy. The Banns and any others who needed their guidance could send messengers or come to visit. Because The Maker had given him a rare gift, and he was going to pay his thanks by putting his family first.


	18. Chapter Four 1 blue light special

Chapter Four: Hot topics

The child's delivery was surprisingly easy. The Teyrna had been adamant in her refusal to call for a healer or any other attendants, stating she only needed Lenora with her. Her husband was puzzled at this, but assented to her wishes, just as he complied with her odd requests for cherries and peanut butter or other strange combinations of food during the previous six months. It had been strange at first, spending so much time in Highever. But he had gotten to know his son better, and the Banns seemed content for the moment. The only damper to the celebratory mood of his castle had been news of his cousin's death, delivered by a dour and stern Grey Warden named Duncan just two weeks ago.

The two women could hear Bryce's impatient boot steps as he paced the stone hallway outside of their bed chambers, eager to hear any news. It had only been thirty minutes since the strongest contractions started. Was this going too fast? Lenora could see the baby's head was almost free. She knelt beside her Teyrna's birthing bench and urged the woman to give one last push. The elf gathered the baby and cleaned her off with some cloths and warm water nearby while the Teyrna expelled the afterbirth. As she wrapped the child, both her and an exhausted Eleanor noticed that the amulet she had brought with her was glowing softly. The girl child's eyes started to glow in response, and then, just as suddenly as it started, the blue light was gone.

"She's not evil. My baby's not evil…" Eleanor insisted breathlessly, as if trying to convince herself with the words she spoke. She was amazed that she didn't even feel much pain.

"No, she's not evil. Look at her smile. She's wonderful!" Lenora replied softly, holding up the baby for her mother to see. Surprisingly, the child was indeed smiling, and already making soft cooing noises. Had Fergus been this content and quiet right after being born? Did he have such soft, dark curls? Eleanor wasn't quite sure. She washed and tidied herself a bit, then donned a new cotton gown before holding her daughter in her arms for the first time. The little girl looked around the room and up at her, and the Teyrna couldn't help but smile back down at the tiny, happy baby and her deep blue eyes.

Lenora gathered up the soiled linens and called for the Teyrn to enter the room.

"What a beautiful baby girl we've made together!" The Teyrn exclaimed. "She reminds me of the time I visited those islands in the Ventosus straits as we sailed towards Vyrantium. The people there made necklaces out of flowers… they called them leis. And the islands were fragrant with exotic fruits. Even our land doesn't have such beauty….ah, Eleanor, my love. I promise I will take you there one day."

Bryce paused and looked down at his wife. "Our daughter will be named Leilani. Leilani Cousland."

"A pretty name for a pretty girl." Eleanor's face lit up at the prospect of travelling to exotic places with her husband, and she smiled at how entranced her husband was with their new baby girl. "Welcome to our family, Leilani"


	19. Chapter Four 2 besotted

Bryce and Eleanor Cousland were completely besotted with their young daughter. Truth be told, everyone in Highever was. The girl amazed everyone with her grasp of the common tongue at the age of two, and she impressed her tutor, Brother Aldous with her ability to read and recite the historic texts he had collected just a year later. Even her brother, who at first seemed irritated at the thought of having a baby in the castle, quickly became her best friend and sometimes scapegoat, as she would occasionally steal sweetmeats from the larder when Nan wasn't being diligent enough. Fergus almost felt disappointed when Leilani started riding on the back of the new Mabari war hound the family acquired as a gift from Bann Teagan Guerrin's estate. His knees sometimes hurt when he had crawled across the stone floor of the main hall with his baby sister on his back, but the way she laughed and giggled, like it was the most wondrous experience ever… that had been well worth it.

That year, the family started calling her "Pup". The war hound had been pregnant, and late one night, a frantic Lenora roused the family from their chambers, saying she couldn't find Leilani. The family searched for her for several minutes, before Fergus finally found her and the hounds in a closet near the larder. The Mabari bitch had given birth to four puppies, and there was his sister, curled up next to them with one of the small dogs in her arms, fast asleep. The war hound growled menacingly as soon as he or another member of the family attempted to remove her, as if their daughter was simply another one of her own pups. So they left her there, fast asleep, until the next morning. Although it was common for nobles to refer to their young children with the affectionate nickname, her father and mother would call her Pup for many years to come.


	20. Chapter Four 3 cheese knife

The 'chthunk' sound of a dagger parting flesh, lodging into the bone of the human's spine, followed by his hoarse, gurgled screams of outrage and disbelief seemed surreal. An elven maid, clothes torn and now speckled with blood spray, cowered in the corner a few inches away, eyes wide and fearful as she locked gazes with the murdering child's otherworldly yet beautiful, glowing blue eyes. A child who seemed eerily nonchalant as her small fingers gripped the hilt of the bloody dagger, put one booted foot on the warm corpse and retrieved her weapon with a satisfied grunt.

"I wouldn't have him hurt you any more, auntie," she exclaimed in a sing-song voice. Four year-old Leilani Cousland wiped the blade clean on her first victim's pants leg before tucking it into a small leather sheath hidden amongst the back waistband of her belted skirt. A gem in the center of the intricately detailed silver amulet that hung from a dark leather cord around her tiny neck pulsated with the same soft blue glow as her eyes, then began to fade as the seconds passed by.

Lenora placed one hand against the wall, the other grasping the torn remnants of her shirt together as she attempted to get up. Her face was still stinging and already beginning to swell from the punches she had received, and she turned her head to the opposite side of the room to spit out a mouthful of blood along with a dislodged tooth . She would no doubt look awful as the bruises developed.

"No, don't move. Just stay exactly where you are. And don't say anything until they ask it of you, Lenora. You know how humans are." The child's words seemed all the more ironic as she tucked an errant strand of dark brown hair behind her rounded ears. The precocious young girl tilted her head to the side, listening as she gazed at the pool of blood mingling with the wine, cheese and bits of smoked salmon that had fallen from the overturned serving tray next to the desk.

Lenora's heart was racing and all of her instincts told her to bolt, but she nodded, content with following the child's orders. "Aye, it's a tricky situation, that it is." She was still somewhat breathless, amazed at how quickly the scenario had unfolded. She glanced up at the child again, and noticed that her eyes were returning back to their normal dark brown color, her irises encircled by a deep azure ring.

"And here they come." Leilana reached down to pull a cheese knife from the remnants of the dead man's last meal, dragged it through the blood still welling from his chest and gripped it firmly against her side. She looked up as the door sprung fully open, hitting the wall behind it with a loud crack.

"Maker's breath!" Eleanor Cousland exclaimed as she burst into the room with one of Arl Howe's knights just a few steps behind.

"What happened here!" The armored knight yelled, incredulous as he stared at a child who was gripping a bloody knife, a pool of crimson gathering at the feet of the Arl's merchant he had been hired to protect.

Leilani's father entered the guest room next, and she chose that moment to look up with wide, tearful eyes. "He was hurting her!" she wailed, then burst into sobs as she dropped the knife to the floor with a clang and started shuddering in fear and disbelief at what she had done. As any child would have done, no doubt. Her faithful young Mabari hound, Toby, started whining piteously in the hallway, sympathetic of his mistress's distress. Bryce Cousland bent down, then sank to one knee as he quickly embraced his daughter in a comforting hug.

He looked up at his wife, who raised her arms in a gesture of disbelief as she took in the tableau. Her longtime maidservant was cowering in the corner next to the corpse of the very man with whom her husband had been negotiating trade contracts with just a scant few hours earlier.

"By the Maker, Lenora! How…what happened?" Eleanor quickly regained her composure and queried the elf before the knight could interrupt.

"My Lady. He…I….I was serving him more wine and a snack and, and he reached for me. Wouldn't stop when I said no, and…and he started hitting. The young missus…. she…she came in and yelled. I…I think he pushed her…. And then, and then, she grabs the cheese knife….and…there's so much blood!" She stammered, shaky and breathless.

"Bloody hell!" the knight swore loudly, then seemed mollified at Eleanor's cold stare. "Begging your pardon, Your Grace. Looks like he had it coming. Not the first time he's roughed up a knife-ear, but definitely the last time, aye."

"Yes, it appears this was a most unfortunate… incident." Bryce replied, the last word spoken with deliberate emphasis.

"Don't worry, ser Joff. I'll journey with you back to Amaranthine and give the news to Rendon myself. I was going to travel there next week anyways, a few days early won't be such a bother." He tensed, then relaxed with a sigh as the knight mumbled "Thank you, your Grace."

Leilani lifted her head from her father's shoulder and sniffled, tears still running down her face. "I wanted to hear a story!" she wailed mournfully, clearly shaken. "The bad man was hurting my Lenora, I just wanted to make him stop!"

"There, there. Not to worry, let's get you out of here and tidied up." Bryce carried his daughter from the room, handing her off to a worried and breathless Nan as she entered the hallway, his son Fergus not far behind.

"Dad, what's all the commotion about?" the teenager heard his sister's sobs, then dropped his jaw in disbelief as his mother exited the room with a bloodstained Lenora limping by her side.

"Oh…wow! She's all bloody, too?" His questions and the rest of his audible musings were quickly silenced by his mother, who ordered him to fetch the seneschal and some of the other servants.

A fresh corpse would have to be cremated soon. The entire castle burst into a renewed flurry of activity that night as news of the "incident" spread amongst the servants and other residents of Highever.


	21. Chapter Four 4 not right in the head

Under a cloudless sky the next day, sixteen year-old Fergus got a glimpse into the minds and hearts of their knights as he practiced swordplay in the east training grounds. Though a good distance away from the Waking Sea, the castle grounds were still close enough to the coast to be cooled by a brisk sea breeze. Harsh midsummer sunshine could be brutal, especially to men clad in assorted metal armor. The sound of weapons clashing was as common and constant as the rhythm of hammers tapping from the village craftsmen who worked to build their new chapel addition on the other side of the walled courtyard.

"C'mon, your lordship – you know you've got to fight for real out here. Your little sister's already made her first kill and she's ten years your junior! She'll be ready for battle long before you, at this rate!"

His lead trainer and father's best knight, ser Terran, guffawed as the frustrated young man thrust his blunted blade forward, then struck again with a more powerful follow-through that landed against his shield. The young man's own shield came up instinctively, right before another knight's iron cudgel thwacked loudly against it.

"That's the spirit!" the trio practiced vigorously for another hour before the oldest, ser Lawrence called for a break.

They sat down on a bench to share a drink and catch their breath for a few moments before ser Lawrence turned to Fergus with an amused chuckle. "Why did our taunts about your sister upset you so, eh?"

Fergus sighed, running his fingers through his close-cropped black hair. "Eh! You know, she's not so right in the head or something."

Ser Terran laughed loudly at that feeble explanation. "Not right in the head? Andraste's sweet bosom, that's an understatement! We all know your sister is the scariest child ever known. Just a matter of time before something like this happened."

"Yes, she's crazy. We knew that day she stole my dagger from the armory while we were busy changing that we were in for trouble. What other four-year old can run that fast? But she's OUR crazy. And apparently doesn't take too kindly to anyone assaulting the good folk of Highever, either. So she's fine by me." Ser Lawrence chipped in, slapping his steel-mailed hand on the bench for emphasis

Ser Terran raised his cup and nodded in agreement. "I'll second that, my good ser!"

Both men remembered the evening a few months ago when she had mysteriously appeared next to their table and swiped the small but deadly blade, turning it over in her palm as if she was examining it with real expertise. At first afraid she would hurt herself, ser Terran had yelled at her to put it back, which she promptly refused with a childlike "No, it's mine!" When Leilani bolted for the door, both men had at first scrambled after her, then turned to each other in astonishment as she ran down the hall towards her living quarters, seemingly faster than her chubby little legs should be able to carry her. They had agreed to let her keep it, just as they had agreed to not remark on the fact that they often spotted her on the top of the wall, avidly watching the knights as they practiced every day. The Maker only knew how she'd gotten up there. Yes, she was a very strange child, but didn't seem to be harming anyone. Except for the dead Amaranthine who had tried to rape that elf. And that one had it coming.

Fergus looked seriously at the two men beside him for a few seconds. "Yeah, I suppose you're right about it all. Leilani's…different, but she's still my little sister. I'm not scared of her." He added, setting his empty glass down and reaching to pick up the practice sword he had set under the bench. Fergus was glad to have the chance to voice his thoughts. His father often urged him to be truthful and forthcoming with the people he would someday be ruling, and especially with his knights.

"Let's get back to it, then. I'll try not to lose my head in a fit of rage over anything, and especially not about Pup. Gotta learn how to defend myself if I'm to survive our trip to Antiva!"


	22. Chapter Four 5 travelling

The subject of their conversation was currently seated in the dining room, legs crossed as she glanced at the pages of the Tevinter history book about the Ventosus straits . Her tutor, Brother Aldous had tasked her to read it while he was away visiting the Denerim Chantry, after she had asked him what her name meant.

Nan had no patience for her incessant questioning about cooking methods, and had shooed her and Toby away as she ordered the servants about, preparing dinner for the castle. Leilana looked down at the frilly lace sleeves of her new green woolen dress and frowned, wishing she could wear leathers and go on grand adventures like her brother would be doing soon. Toby had complimented her on yesterday's clean kill and was now busy gnawing on a lamb bone. Leilani glanced toward her maid and only confidant, frowning more deeply.

"I still wish they had gotten a healer for you."

Lenora looked up from where she was setting out the tableware and made a frustrated tsk-tsk sound. Her face was mottled with bruises of varying color, and her cheek was swollen. An angry red gash along the left side of her jaw line would most certainly leave a scar if left unattended.

"You know I can't afford that on my allotment! And I'm no longer your mother's lady-in-waiting, to be coddled over," she replied in a weary tone.

"Yes, I know, but you're MY lady-in-waiting now, and I don't have to like it." Leilani read about the tiny island chain between the Tevinter mainland and Seheron, finding that her name meant "flower of heaven". Her father must have picked the name up during his numerous travels. She slammed her book shut and got up from the table, pushing the chair back into position before stepping silently across the stone floor to the other side of the large dining hall next to the maid.

Lenora flinched noticeably, then swore under her breath as the girl seemed to appear out of nowhere to stand beside her. "Andraste's ass, you know I hate it when you sneak around like that, child. Make some noise like normal folk when you walk around!" Pain was making her irritable.

As if she was the older one, she shushed her maid and stood on tiptoes, holding up a tiny hand towards Lenora's face. The elf squeezed her eyes shut at first, expecting pain on contact, and then opened them fully upon catching a glimpse of a telltale deep green light emanating from Leilani's palm. The elf held her breath as the warm green healing spell caressed her face, then released it in astonishment as the child quickly moved a few steps away, crossing her hands behind her back with an impish grin.

Lenora stared at her for a few more moments, then shook her head in resignation to the fact that the girl wouldn't have listened even if she had told her not to do it. "You'll be sent to the Tower if you keep performing antics like that, you know!"

Though well into her early 50s, the elf was often told she didn't' look a day over 30. She attributed that to good genes and a life that hadn't been nearly as harsh as most of her race. She marveled again at how quickly Melora's granddaughter was developing and gaining power, even without any magic training. "When did you learn to control…?"

Leilani shrugged, seeming to take her extraordinary accomplishment for granted. "You know, I keep remembering things….every few days. Like… how to do things. It's not like the magic from the circle, I don't think. No spells and what-not. I just see something that should be done, and I remember, like 'Oh, that's right – it's done like this'! And every time I visit the fade and talk to the other creatures trapped there, I remember a bunch more things, too."

"Things that no child should be remembering, no doubt!" Lenora quickly retorted with a smirk of disapproval, worried about what would happen if the Cousland family or other humans knew the full extent of the girl's skill. Nan had called Leilani an abomination last winter when she set fire to her bedroom fireplace without any torch or tender nearby. Luckily, the old cook and the rest of the servants had done their best to ignore any further signs of the Teyrn's daughter's strange abilities. It helped that she was unusually cheerful, intelligent, kind, and so easy to like.

After Lenora had a long talk with the girl about keeping up appearances of normalcy, Leilani had refrained from demonstrating any more abilities to the staff. Aside from yesterday's deadly outburst, of course. She would have to make up some story about having run into some healer visiting the Chantry now. "Oh, what am I to do with you?"

"Just love me!" Leilani giggled, then skipped back towards her maid for a hug. Lenora couldn't help but smile and return the hug, ruffling the girl's long, wavy brown hair as she did so. Her face completely restored, the elf looked down at her great-niece's exquisitely rare eyes as she remembered the first time she witnessed a healer's light.

"Will you come with me to Antiva? Oh, you've just gotta come! I can't bring Toby with me… he said dogs don't like sailing for that long!" the child interrupted her thoughts.

"What? Wait – I thought the Teyrn was going to leave you here with me and Nan again?"

"Nope! I begged him to let me travel with him and Mother, and Fergus this time. He said as long as I'm a 'good girl' and promise not to get in the way of the sailors during the voyage, he would take me. Mother and I will probably be holed up in some Merchant Prince's grand villa, but at least I'll get to see Antiva City!"

"Well, I'm not too keen on travelling in a ship over water, you know…." The elf started to protest.

"Oh, fooey! I'll make sure you won't get sick, Auntie. I promise to take care of you and everyone while we're there. You'll see!" the child started doing some strange little hop-skip dance around the dining room, humming happily.

Lenora wasn't sure what she meant by "taking care of everyone", just as she wasn't sure where the girl got her energy to run & skip about the place all day, but she knew that she could rely on this child to do seemingly impossibly things. She shrugged, then laughed as Leilani started doing some sort of victory dance, pumping her fists into the air.

"OK, then count me in. I guess I'll be travelling to Antiva with you in a few months, eh?"

"Hooray!" The girl yelled before speeding off towards the kitchen, no doubt to ask Nan – yet again – when dinner would be ready.


	23. Chapter Five 1 silly

Chapter Five – City Lights

"But I'm almost five! I want to see the city! Please, please, please? I promise I'll walk on my own two feet the entire time and I won't complain!" Leilani jumped up and down for emphasis, hands clasped before her.

"Oh, stop doing that, silly girl!" her mother chided. "It's unladylike to beg, especially out in public."

"Yes, ser!" the child replied, enthusiastically saluting her mother as the sailors taught her. The noble family and their retinue had sailed into Rialto Bay early that morning and arrived at Antiva City's main port, near the wealthy district. The Teyrn and his record keeper, Brother Talbots, were greeted and immediately whisked away by the lively and richly-garbed Prince Tomas Farinno. He seemed very eager to discuss and finalize the trade agreements they would be working on with bankers and a few other merchants.

The rest of the family, their knights, maids and supplies were put into several carriages that traveled up a winding hillside. A beautiful villa sat atop a hill overlooking the bay below. Leilani and Lenora had both been entranced by the marble floors, ornate fixtures and beautifully detailed frescoes adorning the walls and ceilings of their temporary abode. The place was so very different from their own sturdy castle, it seemed they had travelled to another planet.

Fergus ruffled his little sister's hair and playfully poked her nose with the tip if his index finger. "So, you want to come too, eh Pup? You'll have to get me a really good birthday present, though." He added, grinning mischievously.

"Yes, she can come too. We'll look after her, if that's alright with you. Your Grace, would you like to join us?" Ser Lawrence asked the Teyrna, who was quietly sipping a cup of tea on the balcony, taking advantage of the sea breeze. Fergus, ser Lawrence, ser Terran, and his younger brother ser Gilmore had all changed into light leather armor. Anything heavier would have caused heat exhaustion in a matter of minutes.

"Err…no. No thank you. I haven't quite gotten my land legs back, and this heat is nigh unbearable. Besides, I was here last year, remember?"

"Yes, My Lady." The knight waited patiently for her to continue.

"I will stay here with Teresa. The poor dear has gotten too much sun already and is afraid of getting freckles. Pup, you may go with your brother and his knights. But don't cause any trouble, you hear me, Leilani Cousland?"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n! Yes ser!" she saluted her mother again. The Teyrna rolled her eyes, then joined the others who laughed at her daughter's mimicry of the sailors' talk.

Some sun and fresh air would be good for all of them. Lenora bent down to gather the child's long hair into two pony tails on either side of her head. She had changed Leilani into a cool cotton yellow sundress that bared the girl's arms. Doeskins slippers completed her charge's new look, and she admitted the child could probably blend in with any Antivan youngster.

"Mind you, all of you – stick to the main thoroughfare and don't venture into any dark alleyways. You know that slavery is still legal here, after all. And you scarlet-headed knights, try not to get the sun fevers this time." The Teyrna added this last bit of advice and pulled her hat down over her eyes.

"Now shoo, all of you tourists. I am going to get some rest now."


	24. Chapter Five 2 the cool spot

Three hours later, four adults, two children, and one teenage lad walked to a street side café that their guide insisted was "the best spot in the town for cool refreshments".

Their guide was a skinny, seven-year-old elven boy who only stood out from amongst the other urchins attempting to catch the attention and coin of passerby because of his impressive grasp of the Common tongue. The group was having difficulty determining where to go, since none of them spoke Antivan. So he was a welcome addition, and proved to be earning his coin rather well. He knew where all the monuments and best places to see the sites of the city were, even showing them a where a carnival was parked in the marketplace. The Nevarran acrobats were indeed a site to behold. And the shops! Fergus almost couldn't contain his glee as he was outfitted for the best Antivan leather armor; a surprise birthday gift that his father had arranged the knights to buy for him during his absence.

Surprisingly enough, Leilani had been mostly silent after the carriage dropped them off at the main plaza. She had asked Lenora what slavery was, and when her maid told her that some people were bought and forced to do whatever their purchasers wanted them to do, she mulled over the news, seemingly disheartened. The girl didn't speak again until their guide led them near Antiva City's Grand Cathedral, which she adamantly refused to enter. Her aunt tried to grab her arm and lead her through the threshold, but she wouldn't budge.

"No, let's not go in there, Lenora. It feels wrong."

"What do you mean, Pup?" Her brother asked. "It's the chantry, what could be wrong about it?"

Leilani sometimes wished that her family could at least hear and see the things she noticed. Like the fact that an angry buzzing sound was emanating from the Cathedral, and the air smelled rotten around it.

"I don't know. I just don't want to go there now, okay?"

"Okay, okay, that's fine by me. It's not like I'm the devout religious type either!" Her brother laughed, and they all turned away from the beautiful structure, proceeding past the steady stream of pilgrims entering the sacred grounds who were oblivious to the hidden danger.

Lenora caught the attention of their guide as they ventured back towards the bay. "Is it true that Antiva City's Grand Cleric has lived to be 103? Everyone says it's a miracle… that she's blessed by the Maker."

"Yeah, that's what they say. But no one's really seen her in a long time. She covers her face during the festival seasons when she blesses the crowd, so who knows?" The skinny blonde boy shrugged, then ran quickly as his bare feet passed over a white marble portion of the courtyard that reflected all the heat of the noonday sun.

Now they were in front of The Cool Spot. As the men crossed the patio of the café area to order their drinks, Leilani noticed a gaunt elven woman who was chained to a desk. The proprietor would hand her a drink, and she would whisper some spell to rapidly cool the contents of the glass.

The owner of the shop finally noticed her staring and yelled at Lenora in Antivan, "What is that brat staring at? Your betters have already bought their drinks, so move out to the courtyard!"

Infuriated by his comment and realizing that she was the only one of the Fereldens who even knew what he had said, Leilani released a torrent of swear words at the man and rebuked him with enough gusto to make the street urchin raise his eyebrows . "Well, fuck you too! I was looking at the poor elf you have chained to your desk, you worthless swine! Shouldn't she be at the Magi's tower? Learn how to speak to your betters, or suffer my wrath!"

The air next to the covered booth dropped by several degrees in an instant, and the child raised her arms in anger. Fearful, the man dropped to the floor in obeisance, screaming "My apologies, my apologies! I did not know you were with the nobles, young Princess. Please, please spare me!"

Leilani stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. She had only wanted to scare the man a little bit. She winked at the elven woman, who smiled at her, then turned to look away.

The rest of the Fereldens were puzzled. Leilani appeared to be speaking in Antivan, and this man was obviously afraid of her. "What did you do now?" Lenora asked her as they sat down in the whitewashed oak chairs clustered around the patio.

"Oh, nothing. I just didn't like how he was making the lady over there do so much work without a break, that's all."

"Okay. But when did you learn to speak Antivan?" Fergus asked her, sipping a cold cherry drink.

"I don't know. Just now, I guess. I keep listening to everybody talk." Leilani replied.

Fergus looked to ser Lawrence and a very sun burnt ser Terran, who shrugged. It certainly wasn't the first time she had done something out of the ordinary.

Their young elven guide, however, seemed quite shocked as he watched the entire exchange from a few feet away. He stared open-mouthed at the five-year old. "Maker! You live dangerously, little one!"

Leilani laughed in reply, then asked him in perfect Antivan, "What is your name, and what would you like to drink?"

"My name is Zevran. And you do not have to buy me any refreshments. But thank you."

"No, no, I insist, Zevran. Come!" she switched to the common tongue, and asked ser Terran for some coins so she could purchase another drink for her and their young guide. He gave her a few silvers, and she grabbed Zevran's hand, walking back towards the shopkeeper's counter.

"You again? What have I done to be tormented so?" The shopkeeper exclaimed.

Leilani didn't even signify the man with a reply, instead turning to the tawny-haired boy next to her. "Zevran, what would you like to drink?"

"Uh, I would like a lemon and raspberry drink, I think."

"That sounds lovely! I would like one too!" the young girl wrapped her arm around his waist as if she was his trusting friend, then released him so she could put the coins on the counter beneath the sign that displayed all the possible flavor combinations.

The man's hands were shaking as he handed the two glasses to the boy. As Zevran walked out to the courtyard where the rest of their party waited, lounging on chairs in the afternoon sun, he glanced up at the sky, then began gulping down his drink rather quickly.

"What's the matter?" Leilani asked, still speaking in Antivan.

"It is nothing. I must return to the whorehouse soon." Zevran switched back to the common tongue and handed the girl her drink. "Thank you for your generosity, good sers. It is almost time for siesta and I have to return home now."

He downed the rest of his drink, then sat his empty glass on the table before turning to go.

"What's a whore-house?" Leilani asked quietly.

The two older knights sputtered, while Fergus and ser Gilmore chuckled at her remark. Lenora simply pressed her hand to her forehead and began massaging her temple in exasperation, wondering why the girl would suddenly ask a question like that.

Ser Lawrence broke the awkward silence and attempted to answer her question. "Errr… a whore house is another name for a brothel. Where men go to have certain favors performed for them. They pay ladies for their time."

"Oh!" Leilani exclaimed, then took another sip of her drink. "The guide said that's where he lived."

"You don't say! I'll be right back!" Ser Terran exclaimed, then ran after the lad.

He caught up with the boy after three blocks, right before the main market road twisted around the bay towards the middle-class side of town. "You there!" he yelled.

Zevran appeared to be ready to bolt, then slowed down as he realized the man didn't mean any harm. The group had treated him nicely, paying him four times as much as he had expected, so he hadn't even bothered to pick their pockets.

"Wait! I …I hear you are returning to a brothel, right?" the knight asked him, a little breathless after his sprint up the market street.

"Yes. But…oh, I think I know what you want." The child appeared nonchalant and eager to give the man this last bit of advice. "You don't want to go to a place like the one where I live. You are staying in the noble district, no? Just head back the way we started when you found me on the street corner near the fountain. Four blocks south, at the bottom of the hill, you'll find a nicer place. The sign outside is white, blue and green, called the Oasis. Some of our prettier girls go there, once they're trained."

"Ah, lovely! Thank you! You've been a most wonderful guide!" The Ferelden tossed him another silver as a reward, and the two parted ways.


	25. Chapter Five 3 backhanded

"Giovonni, Torrodo, Zevran, Artoli! Come here, at once!" A plump, forty-something human woman with elaborately painted eyes screeched at the youngsters assembled in the walled courtyard. The madam eyed the young elves greedily, as if inspecting them. The boys fidgeted under her scrutiny, more than one feeling as if she would roast them for supper.

She finally pointed to Zevran, and the others all gave a sigh of relief. "You, there! The golden-haired, lazy one. What have YOU done today, hmmm?"

"I played guide to some Ferelden tourists today." He replied promptly, already cringing in preparation for the blows that would surely come.

"Oh? Is this so? And why have you not brought them here, my little Zevran? Why do we not have stupid foreigners with fat pockets full of coin in our waiting room right now, hmmm?"

"No, I mean, I …no…they were with the nobles. I suggested they go to The Oasis. Please, I did get a bit of coin today. " The blonde-haired elf boy reached into his pocket and deposited 65 silvers and some odd change on the counter in front of the woman.

"Well, well, well. My little Zevran!" She exclaimed, clucking happily to herself as she counted out the coins. "You have outdone yourself today. Are you sure you are not one of my girls, to trick the nobles out of so much coin so easily, hmmm?"

"I didn't have to trick them," he retorted, then instantly regretted it, as her eyes lit up evilly.

The hefty woman backhanded him, then spit on the ground beside him as he struggled to get to his feet. Her face had turned pink with rage, and a vein could be seen bulging in her neck. "You. Stupid. Sons of whores! I teach you over and over again. You don't trick, you don't eat! I don't care how much you think you can earn with your pretty elf-boy looks. I am done playing nursemaid to you filthy little bastards!"

She grabbed a broom, and started yelling at the top of her lungs, almost waking a few of the girls in the rooms upstairs who were resting in the heat of the day. Almost, but not quite. They were used to her frequent tirades by now. The woman swung the broom, missing Zevran by inches as he rolled away and sprang to his feet to cower against the wall. Furious, she swung the broom toward the other three boys, hitting two of them against the ear and the shoulder before they, too, ran from her.

"Ah, so you treat your poor, substitute mama with such disdain, no? Tsk, tsk, tsk, the Maker will forsake all you little demons for such behavior." She paused from chasing them, catching her breath for a moment.

"You three! Put all of your coin on the counter and go to the washroom. You're to help the girls with the laundry and kitchen while they tend to the little babies today, and I want it sparkling clean! A cheese sandwich with a few grapes is on the front counter – divvy it up and be glad to have that much." She added, and the boys scrambled to get to their only meal of the day.

"Now you! You, you you! You have made my heart ache with sadness, my little Zevran. So you want to be the nice, pretty elf boy and help the stupid Fereldens go to see the best girls, hmmm?" She stopped and leaned against a pillar in the courtyard, smacking the handle of the broom into her palm menacingly.

"What am I to do with you, hmmm?" she stared at him for a several moments, as if contemplating his future.

"I….I do not know, Gisella."

"Madam Gisella to YOU!" she corrected him. "And since you like telling people to go to The Oasis so much, you can spend your turn letting the nobles there play kissy-kissy with you while they wait in the lobby for their piece of flesh tonight. Yes, that is what you will do. You bring me 65 MORE silvers, or I will sell you off to the Crows tomorrow!" she screamed the last sentence at the top of her lungs.


	26. Chapter Five 4 sixtyfive silvers

Zevran edged his way toward the back alley entrance, eager to escape the woman's cries and the thwack of her broom. He ran along the alleyway past several row houses and Tanner's shops, head down and hands tucked into his pockets, making himself as small of a target as possible as he ventured back towards the better part of town. At least he didn't have to travel to the slum whore houses or act as delivery boy, running bundles back and forth between the filthy canals near the Alienage and the middle-class district where Gisella reigned as queen. With any luck, one of the nicer girls would let him share a bath and he could steal a few crumbs from the kitchen before the customers started to arrive. With any better luck, Gisella would stumble to bed in a lyrium-induced coma tonight and forget that she ever asked for him to return with 65 silvers.

He slowed suddenly, feeling something in his left pocket. A coin, there? He never put coin into his left pocket! Zevran dodged a puddle of filth outside of a butcher shop and stopped after glancing furtively around him to make sure he was alone. He reached into his pocket and was shocked to see the gleam of gold. How had it gotten there, and where did it come from? He visualized the events of the day and realized that the strange, pretty little girl who scared the shopkeeper so much must have slipped it into his pocket when she grabbed his waist. That was one tricky girl - to make the adult think she was a Shapeshifter Mage - and definitely very strange. Who would do a reverse-pick-pocket? It made no sense to the boy at all, and he shook his head, as if trying to wake from a dream.

The piece of gold remained in his palm. So he returned it to his left pocket and resumed his rush towards uptown, amazed at this stroke of luck. He would be able to go to Tornelli's Pie Shop and have their number one best spicy pork pie and fresh fruit ensemble that he had often dreamed about. He already knew what he would say…he would lie and say he was fetching dinner for the girls, then climb onto the wall of The Oasis courtyard and enjoy his meal up on the roof while the sea gulls looked on in envy. And he would still have enough left of the sovereign so that he wouldn't even have to play nice with any of the men! He smiled for the first time that day, and his simple joy at the prospect of getting a full meal was greater than the sting he felt on his left cheek from where the madam had slapped him.


	27. Chapter Five 5 sneaking about

That evening, after a light supper, the Teyrn and Teyrna left to attend a Ball. The affair was hosted by one of the bankers involved with the trade negotiations, and Leilani had marveled at the colors in her mother's new silk gown as Lenora and Teresa helped her prepare for the event. She had also marveled at the bright city lights that could be seen twinkling across the horizon, competing with the stars and moon. All the houses and businesses had lit their torches and candles, and the five-year-old was even more excited than the first time their ship had sailed the open sea with no shoreline in sight.

The girl pretended to fall asleep right after taking her bath. She waited to hear Lenora's soft snores and Teresa's loud ones from the servant's room before sneaking out of her own guest quarters. Although she could have just as easily put them to sleep using magics, she was beginning to realize more and more that her aunt was right. There was no reason to bring attention to herself and possibly cause her family to be hurt in the process. She should stop using magic for mundane things.

Leilani slipped into a worn pair of boys' leather leggings she cut off with her dagger, and a thin, bright blue cotton shirt she belted over her waist, since it was long enough to be a dress on her. She had pilfered the old but clean clothes out of a chest she had discovered in one of the unused guest rooms that evening. Sadly, the boots had been much too large for her feet, so she donned the soft leather slippers that Lenora had given her that morning. The young Cousland explored the villa thoroughly, even going so far as to steal several coins from a locked chest on the other side of a false wall she noticed in the wine cellars below the kitchen. She determined that the former occupants had probably been murdered and the current owner of the villa did not even realize there was a treasure under his nose.

Leilani crept stealthily towards the balcony where her brother and the three knights sat, playing cards and sipping rare Antivan brandy. There was cheese, wine, fruit and assorted desserts on a tray next to their table. She was Cloaked in Shadow now, just as the mouse she met in the Fade last year taught her, so no one would see or hear her. It was the simplest of magics for her, one that was almost as easy and effortless as breathing.

"I'm all out!" ser Terran yelled.

"Sod it, Gilmore, where'd you learn your skill with cards?" ser Lawrence exclaimed.

The youngest knight guffawed, and bent to gather up the assorted coins on the table before him. He glanced towards Fergus, who appeared to be bored.

"This is getting old. I could play cards in Denerim, or at home if I wanted to. Isn't there anything fun to do in this town?"

"Now that you mention it… " Ser Terran looked to ser Lawrence, whose rosy cheeks and nose bore testament to his drunken state.

"Aye! Let's go get some wenches, lads! It's time to make sure our young Lord becomes a man tonight!" ser Lawrence replied loudly, beating the table with his fist for emphasis. All three men and the almost-man cheered, toasted each other "to fun and games", and gulped down whatever was left in their goblets.

Ser Gilmore was the least inebriated of the bunch, so he ran downstairs and outside to the gatehouse to order a carriage. While the servants were busy preparing the carriage for the unexpected trip down to the port, ser Terran made his way downstairs with the rest of their party and started bragging about his conquests the last time he had visited Orlais. They all hoped the Antivan women of the night were as pretty and pliant as their Orlesian counterparts.

Leilani swiped a few cookies from the desert tray, wrapped them up in a napkin and slipped them in her pocket before following them outside. The Ferelden men entered the lights of the market district just a few minutes later, unaware that the youngest member of the Couslands had stowed a ride on the back of their carriage.


	28. Chapter Five 6 fortune

It was the dark-skinned Nevarran elf girl, Anita, who shared her lavender and lemongrass-scented bath with him and listened to his tale of woe with sympathy as he helped to paint her toenails afterwards.

"But Zevran, you must be careful! You know that fat old bitch is planning to sell you anyways! I saw her talking to a buyer two days ago, saying she had too many mouths to feed at The Veil and wanted him to come take a look at her "little golden one". If you don't think you can take it, you should run away tonight, sugar."

"Take what? I have no idea what's in store for me."

"Well, you should come back tomorrow when the rain starts again, and I will tell you your fortune. It's my gift, you know."

"Yes, and you seem to be doing well off for it. How else have you managed to afford such nice things and avoid getting beaten or robbed by the other whores yet?"

The raven-haired beauty laughed and started putting on her makeup, so Zevran made himself useful by changing the bedding in preparation for her first customer. "Do you think those Fereldens will come here tonight?" She asked him while applying kohl to her eyelids.

"I don't know. Probably. Why?" he replied, tucking a crisp off-white sheet under one corner of the mattress.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just that I've never been with any Ferelden men. I hear they're little more than barbarians!"

"Well, they just seemed like normal humans to me. Big, stupid. And they had a little girl with them who was pretty much in charge, if you can believe that."

"Yes, well, that is not so unheard of, among nobles. They all treat their women like spoiled princesses, and then lock them away when they grow up, so no one can see. No wonder the men must come here for some lively fun times, no?"

The boy just laughed at her last remarked, and bent down to fluff a pillow. A gong sounded on the first floor of the converted villa, signaling the arrival of the night's first customer. Zevran moved towards the window, about to leap back to the nearby trellis and spend the rest of the night on the roof.

"Zevran, be safe. Your mother…I remember her like it was yesterday. Mellina Arainai would have been proud of you. No matter what, take care of yourself, little one." Anita blew him a kiss, which he pretended to catch in his hand and hold to his heart in mock adoration.


	29. Chapter Five 7 savor

Leilani had witnessed this exchange from the hillside against the rear of the establishment. She used her 'eye of eagle, ear of bat, nose of bear' magic and could see through the windows of all eight rooms of the L-shaped building from her vantage point in between two fig tree. Fergus and the knights were still at a tavern next door, insisting that the boy wasn't drunk enough yet if he felt nervous. So she started climbing back down the hillside and silently made her way up the same trellis to the brothel's roof, following in Zevran's footsteps.

She found the boy staring up at the stars, arms folded across his chest with his head resting on a towel. Torchlight flickering up from the courtyard below illuminated him just enough so she could see the large welt on the side of his face. Leilani frowned, then decided she would reveal herself to him after all.

Not wanting to startle him too much, she moved back a few steps before releasing her Cloak of Shadow. "Hello, Zevran."

The boy swore, then relaxed as he realized it was the same strange Ferelden girl from earlier that day. "Hello to you, too. I was just thinking about you, and here you appear like some witch of the wilds. What are you doing here, and up on the roof, no less? I'm beginning to think you are perhaps not a normal human child after all." He continued laying on the roof.

"Well, you're certainly more observant than most adults. But no, I really am a child. At least in body. It's strange though. I can remember things that no one has taught me, and do things that my auntie says even mages don't do." The girl shrugged, then reached into her pocket to retrieve the cookies. She gave one to Zevran, who nibbled on it slowly, trying to savor the rare treat.

"I decided to come along and make sure my brother and his knights make it safely back to the Farinno estate. Father was worried that they might be robbed and left for dead or something." Leilani continued, munching her cooking thoughtfully.

"Oh? And what could a little girl do….never mind. I don't want to know." He replied.

"I once killed a man for trying to rape my Auntie Lenora. So I suppose I will do whatever it takes to help defend my brother, too." She added.

The elven boy stilled. "Lenora. Wasn't that the name of the elf woman you were travelling with today? How can she be your aunt?"

"She's not really my aunt. She's my great-aunt. My grandmother's sister."

"Oh." Zevran had no idea what it would be like, to actually live with family members who cared about you. But if this girl had to defend one of them from being raped; well, perhaps her life was not that much unlike his own.

"So, who struck you today?"

"Huh? Oh, that. Eh, it's nothing. The woman who supervises the house where I live…"

"The other whore house."

"Yes, the other one is called The Veil and it works with girls at this one too. Anyway, that woman is crazy. She beats us kids all the time. But now everybody says I'm getting too old and will be sold off soon."

"Sold off? What do you mean, she…this woman can just sell you? Does she really own you?" Leilani scooted closer to the boy.

"Little girl, I am an elf, or haven't you noticed?" He pointed to his ears. "My mother died when I was born, like so many other mothers. That woman has let me stay in her house for this much time, and she can sell me off whenever she wants to. I suppose I'm lucky to still be alive. And I can't play music like Torrodo can. The occasional beating is not so bad, no?"

"I…I guess not. But it still seems terrible to beat on somebody who can't fight back. If anyone ever tried to beat me, I would fight them back and make them hurt so bad, they wouldn't want to ever try again."

"Yeah, well, I don't know anything about fighting. Not yet."

Leilani decided that she would heal his face. The golden-haired boy was handsome and smart, and interesting, after all. She reached out and briefly touched his cheek, her palm lighting up for a second to indicate the channeling forth of healing energies. This being the second time she healed someone, she instinctively reflected on the finer points of the magic involved and realized that she would not have to actually touch someone to heal them again.

Zevran sat up, surprised and confused for a moment. "Hey, what did you do?" he asked, feeling his face for a moment.

"It's a healing, silly."

"Oh, is that what it feels like? Nobody heals an elf. You Fereldens sure are weird!" This girl was definitely crazy and dangerous. Only a desperate fool would try to rob her. And he was no fool.

"No, you Antivans are weird!" she protested. "How can somebody own somebody else? Everyone is equal in the Fade. It almost makes me sick, being in such a beautiful place with such ugly things going on all the time. It doesn't matter to me if someone is a human, or elf, or anything else. One day, when I become a Great Power, I will make sure that this thing never happens again. Not in all of Thedas!"

The boy stared at her, surprised at the fierceness of her remark. "Really? No slaves in all of Thedas… even the Tevinter's lands? I don't know if the Maker could even do that."

Leilani sighed and sat back down on the warm roof tiles. The night air had grown cool, and there was a light breeze blowing across the bay. "This just seems too terrible sometimes. I almost cannot stand it." She added, softly.

"There, there, little one. It is not all bad. There are cookies, and cool drinks, and scented baths, and… and kisses!"

"Kisses? What do you mean?"

"You know, kisses. Like when the nobles pay me to give them kisses while they wait for the whores in the lobby."

"What? They pay you to give them…but you're just a boy!"

Zevran laughed at his companions naïveté. "Trust me, I could be forced to do far worse, I'm sure. Why last year, my friend Torrodo was given to one of the nobles for two nights. When he returned his bottom was sore and bleeding, and he had trouble sitting down for a week. But we ate very well that week, yes we did." He stopped chuckling when he noticed her serious expression.

Once again, Leilani was shocked to silence. A little boy had been forced to have sex for money? Leilani remembered observing the act of sex a couple years ago while lurking around the servant's side of her castle. Two elves were copulating in a broom closet while they were supposed to be washing some linens. She had been curious, and watched the entire performance with detachment. She knew what sex was, and had even asked Lenora a few questions about it, which of course she answered with straightforwardness. But this Antiva was indeed a terrible place, if even children could be forced to do things like that. Things that should give pleasure, not pain.

She looked towards the street and noticed her brother and the knights making their way towards The Oasis. Ser Lawrence was staggering unsteadily, but all of them were laughing heartily, clearly having fun. They were oblivious to the horrible things happening all around them.

"And by the way, thank you for the sovereign. I am saved from having to kiss any drunken men tonight." Zevran interrupted her thoughts.

"Don't worry, you wouldn't have to be kissing any of MY people." She retorted.

The elf laughed. "Oh? Are you sure? What about you, my young friend…would you pay me a few coins for some soft kisses?"

Leilani suddenly felt embarrassed, and didn't know why she couldn't stop smiling foolishly after he asked her that. He took it as an invitation, and lightly kissed her on the lips.

"See, that's not so bad, now is it?"

"No, I guess not. But I'm not paying you for it!"

"Ouch! You wound me, harsh temptress!" he teased her further.

"Hmmmph. Actually, can I hire you to do something for me?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you're going to be up for another hour or so, could you please make sure my brother and the knights get back to the Farinno's guest villa? You know, the one up on the hill with the blue window shutters, about half a mile from here?"

"Huh, that was the Voltoro estate just last month. Sure, I have nothing better to do."

"Great! I'll give you one sovereign now, and the other when they get home safe. My room is at the far right on the back side of the house, and there's a trellis near there too. I'll leave a sheet hanging out the window so you'll know it's okay to come in. Is that alright?"

"Yes, no worries. It's cooler now. The walk is uphill, but not too bad, even for drunks. Where are you going?"

"I'm getting tired, and it doesn't look like any unsavory characters are about. At least not in this area of town. So I'm heading up now. But I have one more question."

"Yes?"

"Do any of the whores here not really want to sell their bodies? Are they being forced to perform?"

Zevran wrinkled his brow for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to answer that question. "No, I don't think so. Maybe when they first started doing it, but not now. Besides, what else is there for them to do that makes so much money and let's them live in elegance here on the waterfront?" He took a deep breath of the salty sea air.

Leilani shrugged, pressed a gold coin into the boy's hand and left the comfort of the roof.


	30. Chapter Five 8 whatever they're called

She arrived back at the villa not a moment too soon. Her mother hurried out of a carriage and ran upstairs to the living quarters, clearly upset. When Eleanor couldn't find the knights, she started panicking, and woke up Lenora.

"Where's Fergus and Terran, and Lawrence, and Gilmore?" She asked the sleepy elf.

"I…I have no idea!"

"Mother, I know where they are." Leilani entered the room and tried to calm her.

"What? How do you know…and what in the Maker's name are you wearing?" The Teyrna exclaimed.

"Um…I had to go out and make sure they were alright. They're at a whore house. I mean a brothel. Whatever they're called."

"Oh, Andraste save me! I don't think I even want to know how you know that, child. We are definitely going to have to talk about your behavior later!" The Teyrna shook her head at her daughter, wondering what was really going on in the young one's head. "But listen, something awful has happened! At that Banker's Ball we attended, someone killed Prince Farinno! His brother Samael has sworn revenge, but the other merchants and bankers don't trust him and think he set the Crows upon his own brother. Your father is in a bad predicament if he can't convince them to settle their disagreements and proceed with the trade contracts. We must get ready to leave this villa at a moment's notice!"

Lenora and Teresa both hopped out of their beds and immediately started going through some of the travelling chests in the room. None of them had unpacked much, so it wouldn't take long to retrieve their items if they were evicted from the estate.

An hour passed before the Teyrn and his record keeper returned to the villa at almost the same time as the rest of the men folk. Fergus had a goofy grin on his face, and ser Gilmore and ser Terran were all but carrying ser Lawrence, but they had made it back safely. Bryce Cousland tried to be stern at first, but he couldn't contain his laughter upon hearing of their antics.

He waved to Eleanor, who was observing the conversation from the top of the stairwell. "All is well, my love! We will stay here another two days before travelling up to Treviso, where the vineyards are, to meet a few more bankers and collect another merchant's signature. I'll be up to bed shortly."

The Teyrna breathed a sigh of relief and commanded Leilani to go to sleep again, this time "for real". The girl shut her door and then ran towards the window. She waved at the elf boy who was sitting cross-legged next to some rose bushes, gesturing for him to climb the trellis.

"I figured you'd be busy for a little while, when I saw the carriage dropped that important-looking fellow off." Zevran said as he climbed into the large window. She pressed another gold coin into his palm, which he placed in his right pocket. His threadbare pants wouldn't allow for the bulge of yet another sovereign in the other one.

"Well, I'm glad you stayed, then. I want to ask, have you ever been to Treviso?"

"Who, me? No, I've never been outside of Antiva city. But I've heard of the place. It's a much smaller town but has lots of orchards, where they grow grapes and olives and such."

"Oh, okay. I was hoping we wouldn't have to travel to another city as big as this one. There are too many people in the Fade, even." Leilani added, slipping out of her borrowed clothes and into a nightgown.

"What are YOU going to do now?" she asked the boy.

"I'm going to go back and sleep on the roof, that's what. It is getting a bit late, even for street urchins such as myself." He yawned and stretched.

Leilani giggled at his last remark, then thought about him sleeping on the roof with no protection from the elements. She knew he probably did that a lot, but it still bothered her. A lot of things about this place bothered her, such as why so many children like Zevran had to run around barefoot while nobles adorned their horses with gold and gemstone-studded leathers. This place was definitely worse than Denerim.

"Why don't you just sleep here with me tonight?"

"Huh? What….really? You'd let me sleep in your bed?"

"Sure, why not? Look how big it is!" she exclaimed.

It was a far cry from how he was used to sleeping; either alone on a roof, or huddled on some dirty floor mats with the other children. He couldn't wait to tell Torrodo about this crazy girl and how much she paid him for simple things.

"But you have to leave at first light, before the servants come up with fresh water." Leilani added as she undid her ponytails and brushed her hair.

"No problem! I'll have to report back to my house then anyway. Thanks!" Zevran removed his shirt and breeches and hopped under the covers in his smallclothes. Leilani joined him a moment later and blew out the candle on the nightstand. The two children were fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

Unbeknownst to any of the villa's occupants, a lone assassin had observed this flurry of activity from his vantage point in a nearby oak tree. He had been told to watch the foreigners and keep track of them in case the Crow's employer decided they needed to be "dealt with". But the man was perplexed. Why had the foreigners' young daughter invited the urchin from the whore house up to her room? This was a mystery worth reporting. Perhaps there was more to this street kid than the cell that was overseeing the prostitution ring knew about. The kid might even be a good candidate for training after all.


	31. Chapter Five 9 a tad odd

"What are we going to do about our children, my love? They seem to be growing up so fast!" The Teyrn whispered to his wife as he crawled into bed a few doors down the hallway.

"I don't know, darling. Fergus – I'm not worried about him. At least he's normal. Our daughter, on the other hand… I don't know what to think or do about her sometimes. Have you ever known a five-year old to be so precocious or mature. I swear, it's like she's five going on fifty!"

"Hahahaha! Not to worry, love. She's certainly a prodigy, no doubt about it. Why, on the voyage from the Waking Sea port, she read all of my trade accords and other records and even gave Brother Talbots and I some very good advice. If it wasn't for her, Ferelden would only be making about 30% profit on its corn and wheat exports. Now we're trading directly with the Antivans and Nevarrans in the interior, and even though a couple of the merchant princes aren't happy about us eliminating the middle man, the others are more than pleased."

Eleanor sighed. "Yes, yes, dear. That's… all well and good. But don't you think it's a tad odd for a child of only five to be influencing the hearts and minds of so many? Bryce, she was out roaming the city tonight doing Maker knows what! Fergus says she even hired some scrubby beggar child to help guide them back toward the villa. I don't know… Leilani just seems… unusual."

"Well, there you have it. She's taking care of her brother and our family. So what's there to worry about, really? She's a very intelligent child, full of life and we know she'd do anything to protect the ones she loves. What's to worry about that?"

"Oh, you're right, I suppose."

"Yes, I am right. I know that any child that has an extraordinary mother like you who notices all the finer details is blessed. What could go wrong? She's our Pup, and she may be different from other children her age, but she's wonderful. Just like you." Bryce kissed his wife and fondled her under the covers, making her squirm a bit.

"Oh, you!" soon, all her worries and protests lay forgotten as she enjoyed his undivided attention.


	32. Chapter Five 10 floating

_As with every other night as far back as she could remember, Leilani awoke and found herself floating in the Fade. She didn't understand how or why she was there, fully conscious of her surroundings and able to float or walk around on the broken and twisted islands at will, moving through various portals whenever she wanted to. Most others were clearly lost in dreams, their wispy, transparent Fade bodies flitting around aimlessly like ghosts amongst the warped and twisted landscape._

_It looked as if someone had painted a full-scale model of the real Antiva City, sometimes repeating sections over and over again, smeared all of the wet paint, then broke it up, scattering the bits and pieces. Certain things were smaller than normal, such as the statues in the cracked marble of the Fade marketplace that were smaller than a dinner plate instead of the same height as the harbor gates. Other landmarks seemed impossibly vast, like the bay that went on as far as the eye could see, an unmoving obsidian mirror that reflected the quiet despair of the destitute and downtrodden. Regardless of where she roamed, she encountered thousands and thousands of dead and sleeping souls._

_Leilani floated past an island where a few rage demons were tormenting the remnants of some poor mage's soul. Curious, she stopped to investigate. The armored battle mage seemed to be fighting a losing battle, but just before the demons could claim victory, the mage changed his form, bursting the surrounding air into ribbons of white and gold as his mass increased to accommodate his new golem body. He pummeled the demons to a pulp, then changed back to his former self, lying limp and exhausted. She was about to Uncloak and approach him to ask a few questions when she spotted the same two rage demons clawing their way out of an earthen mound in the distance. This mage was obviously stuck in some nightmare, doomed to repeat the same scenario over and over again. Disappointed, Leilani floated up from the broken island, gliding away from the area._

_She willed herself to go as high as she possibly could, until the seething mass of souls looked like a golden bundle of yarn from her vantage point. The only thing she could see clearly was the ever-present Black City off in the distance. It always seemed colder, the higher she went, but this time, she was glad for the loneliness and icy pinpricks upon her skin. Which was odd, because in this place, she had no skin. Unlike the Fade demons, ghosts and other parts of souls floating around, Leilani's semi-translucent body was the color of blue topaz. She had only roamed uncloaked a handful of times, and that was when she was looking for specific spirits to coax secrets from. None of the beings who had ever seen her were left alive to share that knowledge._

_Three things caught her eye from this vantage point. The first was a square-shaped, dark mass with bright red lines that criss-crossed through it, pulling in energies from the various souls closest to it. The thing looked like some sort of large mouth, devouring all that it could. Leilani did not like the look of it, and its vague but incessant buzzing sound seemed disturbing; just like the cathedral they had visited near the harbor earlier that day._

_The second entity that manifested itself into the Fade was a dark grey, bird-shaped object that seemed to be hovering over the entire area. It was higher than most of the other beings and seemed to be sending out dark tendrils from its main body. This thing seemed to be giving and receiving energies but did not have any tell-tale magical highlights, so the girl ignored it. Many other cities and regions she had visited possessed similar entities, such as the chantry or the palace. Any place or position of power that many souls acknowledged and feared often had a similar signature. _

_Leilani moved down toward the third object. At first, it appeared to be a multi-colored sword of some sort, but as she moved closer, she could see it was a tower. The structure appeared to be very similar to the mage tower near Lake Calenhad, but it, too was broken and twisted. It was easy to distinguish the bright colors of the living mages who travelled in the Fade from the other sleeping denizens of this realm. She began to hear snippets of a heated discussion between two male mages and one female enchanter._

_"Percival, you are supposed to be First Enchanter, but you act as if you are no more than a puppet. We need someone to take action on this. No more delays, no more sending letters for help and wondering if they've even been delivered or not. We have to act now!"_

_"No, Henri! We cannot confront her… IT, head-on. The Templars do its bidding! How can we hope to survive a direct battle with them?" _

_"But we cannot stand idly by while that THING devours the rest of us. Why are we mages? What do we have these powers for, if not to protect the innocent? How many more apprentices do we have to see wrongfully accused and chased by its dogs…just to suffer Maker knows what fate? "_

_"No! Cecilia is right. Have you not seen what that THING looks like in the fade? It's clear that it's quite capable of devouring us and anyone else who dares to get in its way, Henri."_

_"Enough! It's been feeding off the lifeblood of our great city for too long! Percival, Cecilia! Gather any who want to help. But I don't care if I stand alone in this or not. I will NOT stand by and let that monstrosity drain the hearts, minds and souls of our most promising members! If my sacrifice garners the attention of Val Royeaux, I will count that a victory. The rest of Thedas needs to find out what's going on here!"_

_The mage named Henri disappeared abruptly, signaling his return to the world of the living. The other two remained and continued to argue with each other, clearly at a loss about what to do next. But Leilani had seen enough. She glided away from the broken tower and up towards the dark land mass she had noticed earlier. Instead of the pristine, bright white structure that appeared in the real world, this cathedral was a blackened and ugly broken hull with huge holes in its ceiling and walls. Now she understood why the area appeared to be twisted and burnt. Rage, desire and hunger demons meandered freely along a narrow corridor between the jagged courtyard tiles and the inner gates. _

_The girl hovered a few inches above the ground and started noticing a few benign spirits who were attempting to push a few unwary souls away from the structure. Inside, a congregation of souls had gathered together and were sitting with peaceful, vacant stares at the hideous creature on the altar before them, blissfully oblivious to the fact that their energies were being drained every moment they sat upon those pews. Leilani glanced up towards the broken ceiling where she could see several more benign spirits floating, trying to coax the ill-fated attendees to leave their seats. The wrongness of this place was making her head hurt. She would have to do something about this, and quickly. _

_Leilani knew that she would have to Unmake this thing, separating the original person's desires from the Fade-beast that had overtaken its soul. She quickly shed her Cloak and focused her attention on the disgusting mass of tentacles and misshapen flesh that was sitting upon the altar of the Fade cathedral. The thing immediately sensed her. Dozens of Fade demons streamed through the doors at once, all headed in her direction. She was the interloper!_

_But this is exactly what she wanted. The ignorant souls who were sitting in the pews awakened, suddenly terrified as they realized they were being fed upon. Benign spirit-helpers reached down to guide them away from the building and away from where the demons were congregating to fight against Leilani. She waited until the first of the malevolent beings was within arm's reach and suddenly, they all stilled. The girl had begun siphoning energy from them, and many of them had already begun to disappear. One of the Greater Rage Demons roared, struggling to fight back against this unexpected development before it, too, succumbed. "One of us, one of us!" They all chanted, eerily pointing their misshapen limbs toward the girl before fire consumed them all. _

_The fire burned red, then turned blue. From the flames, a huge bright blue dragon coalesced. Her lyrium-encrusted wings destroyed what was left of the pitiful structure and she turned her head towards the Reverend Mother-Thing that was mewling upon the altar._

_"Why have you done this?" The dragon asked._

_"I have done what I must do to thrive! The White Chantry are fools! The Tevinters will reign supreme one day and blood will flow freely through these lands just as it did at the height of the Imperium!"_

_"Whatever, bloated demon-thing. You won't be there to see it." She dived down, reaching towards the thing's center with her sharp talons. As she shredded it apart, she also released the excess energies she had siphoned from the demons and shed her dragon-form before quickly flying up to where the benign spirits had gathered above. A bright blue and white light appeared, slowly engulfing the cathedral and the entire black island that was floating in the fade. Suddenly, it imploded, and the familiar wispy light golden colors of the fade took its place. Leilani floated, glad to be in the familiar comfort of her own child-sized body once again. She was about to venture back towards the mage tower when a bright golden light appeared next to her and a voice urged her to awaken._


	33. Chapter Five 11 small action

"Hey, wake up, wake up!" Someone was whispering loudly, and nudging her shoulder impatiently.

Leilani woke up and glared at the stick-thin young boy who had dared to disturb her sleep. The early morning rays of the sun had begun to shine through the shutters, illuminating his tousled blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she felt tingly all over. She looked down at herself and noticed that her entire body was glowing with a faint blue tinge.

"Oh!"

"Uh, yeah. You were thrashing about like a crazed thing, and woke me up. And you were glowing and looked upset. I was thinking…. this might not be a good thing."

Leilani took a deep breath and tried to regain control of herself. Within a few seconds, the only thing still glowing was her eyes.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to alarm you. This has never happened before. Are you…"

Whatever she was going to say next was drowned out by the sound of a huge explosion from some distance away. The earth shook for several moments, and the two children hugged each other tight, clearly frightened.

"What was THAT?" Leilani was the first to break the silence.

"I don't know. Maybe a little earthquake. But it sounds like something got blown up." He released her, a little embarrassed to have been hugging the girl for comfort.

"A LITTLE earthquake? Don't tell me you've been through a big one?" Leilani asked.

Zevran decided to ignore her question as he jumped from the bed and donned his pants. Leilani took one look at his threadbare brown shirt, riddled with holes and yanked it from the floor, throwing it away from his grasp.

"Here, wear mine instead. And these short boots should fit you, too." As she looked toward him, he noticed that her eyes had finally stopped glowing. The elven boy was used to taking orders and was not about to question the generosity of this strange girl. Just as he stuck his foot into the second ankle-length boot, they heard the noise of many footsteps upon the stairwell outside the door. She gestured toward the door and the locked turned with a click. "That should buy us some time. But you've got to go now, Zevran. Let's see what that noise outside was."

She jumped from the bed and walked towards the window facing the back of the villa, standing on her tiptoes to open the left shutter. He followed her, swinging the right side open. Both children gasped as they leaned out and saw a thick column of smoke descending from the eastern side of the port.

"It's the Cathedral!" Zevran exclaimed in awe.

"Whoa! Look at it!" Leilani replied, just as surprised. Had her actions really manifested themselves in the real world? That had never happened before!

"Well, I've gotta get going. Thanks for letting me sleep here." He wiggled his toes in his new boots. They were just a little too big, but they fit well enough after all. Certainly better than being barefoot. "Thanks for the boots and stuff, too!"

"Sure, no problem. Be careful!" she added, as he jumped to the ivy-covered lattice. It seemed as if he hadn't even bothered to look where he was going.

"Always." Zevran paused, looking up at the pretty little girl in her cream-colored night gown. She sat on the window sill, her thick brown hair blowing in the wind, her legs kicking softly against the stucco wall as she looked across the bay. Her dark brown eyes with the blue ring around them were certainly different, just like her personality. He would probably never see this strange, magic-wielding, foreign girl again, but he would always remember her kindness. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Leilani. Leilani Cousland." She reached down to smooth his hair and she felt her magic swell, itching to be used. The human girl looked down at the pointed-eared boy and quickly gave him a blessing of good luck and protection. As she saw her magics dance from her hand to his body, she remembered there were five main blessings: longevity, protection/safety, fertility, wealth/prosperity, and happiness. She also remembered Lenora's wise counsel about changing the course of someone's life with one seemingly small action. But surely, this boy could use all the help he could get, right? She hoped she could see him one day again, perhaps when she was more grown up and didn't have to worry about her mother scolding her if she stayed out late.

He felt a warm, tingly sensation on his head. What was this girl up to now? He grabbed her hand, then held it for a moment before kissing it. He often saw nobles do this to important ladies. She beamed down at him, then giggled.

"Goodbye, Zevran, and good luck! May you be safe from harm." She blew him a kiss, just as the woman at the whorehouse had done the previous night. He caught the kiss with his hand and held it to his heart, smiling back at her.

"Goodbye, Leilani!" He scrambled down the lattice to the roof of the porch, then down the other lattice to the garden below.

Just before disappearing into some bushes, he turned back towards her and waved one last time. He was glad to see her waving back.


	34. Chapter Six 1 bewitched

Chapter Six – The Templar and the Whore

The raven-haired assassin waited until a few minutes after he saw the girl close her window before he followed the boy down the hillside. He was truly scared. Had he really seen a blue light from that window – right before the Cathedral exploded? The blonde elf kid seemed to be unharmed, but something about the situation made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. However, the closer he got to his cell's hideout, the more he convinced himself that there was nothing to worry about. He grabbed an apple from a vendor's stall and ate it, and of course the shop owner didn't object when he saw the tattoos on his arms. He relieved himself against a back alley wall, thinking about what he would say to his superior just before entering the Crow cell's current safe house. It was disguised as a rug merchant's store.

"Andre! So glad to see you alive on this auspicious day! Have you heard what's happened?"

"Master Giordo! Good morning to you. And no, I have not heard any news yet."

"Well, it appears that for the past few years, our Reverend Mother has been an abomination and even had all the Templars and Priests bewitched! Lucky for us, the place blew up in the wee hours of the morning before any chantry goers attended their service. The mages are helping to find survivors and sheltering them in the Tower, can you believe it?"

"Interesting news. This means the Orlesians will no doubt send replacements soon."

"Yes, and hopefully they will be screened well this time. The Crows knew it was a bad sign when the Grand Cleric became so cozy with the Tevinters. Wouldn't be surprised if they were the ones who put her there in the first place. " He changed the subject abruptly. "How was your night? Tired of playing watchman yet?"

"It was uneventful, I suppose. Except for the whoreson who stayed in the little girl's room. We should tell Master Antoine's cell to take another look at that kid. He could be a good prospect after all."

"Oh? That is interesting. I'll send the news to Fernando. He is the new Second who is in charge of overseeing activities at The Oasis and The Veil. Now, come." Master Giordo embraced the elf, running his fingers through the shorter man's dark, curly hair before kissing the tip of his right ear. "You must be very tired, no? I, too, have been up all night attending to the Farinno contract, disposing evidence and collecting payment, of course. Saul is on the case now, working as a servant in that villa. Come up to bed with me. We will discuss things some more after lunch when the others are here." He kissed him, reaching down to cup his buttocks.

"Mmmmm, yes." Andre relaxed against the man's chest, clasping his hands around the back of his neck as their tongues intertwined.


	35. Chapter Six 2 good for nothing

By the time Zevran arrived back at the whorehouse in the middle-class district, Gisella was already outside, serving drinks to passersby. As always, the smell of leather permeated the afternoon air and a few humans held handkerchiefs to their noses as they walked along the street. Four girls swayed their hips in the front courtyard, their lace fans hiding their faces and making them appear even more mysterious and alluring as Torrodo strummed on a lute. The older elf boy nodded to him as he made his way towards the madam's bulky form, signaling that he wished to talk soon.

Zevran carefully counted six large silvers, five small silvers and 18 copper coins that he placed in her tray. The two sovereigns that Leilani had given him were well-hidden under a rock that was inside of a rotting tree stump. He had frequently used the stump to hide things he pickpocketed, and he felt that the loot was safe, right next to his mother's Dalish gloves. As the boy finished placing all the coin's onto the madam's tray, he turned his pockets inside out until she was satisfied that he wasn't hiding anything from her. Gisella narrowed her heavily made up eyes at him and looked over his new shirt and boots with suspicion and contempt.

"Hope you enjoyed your night playing with the nobles, because you're going to be delivering things to us from the Alienage after this business with the Cathedral is cleaned up! The Templars have blocked off all traffic going across the canal bridges for now." She shoved him away harshly and started speaking to Torrodo, who had switched to playing a lively tune on a lillo flute.

"Play well, boy, and I'll see to it you get a proper meal today. All this excitement will send men to us in droves tonight, eager to prove that they're still alive. Play well so our girls can show off. The ones that watch the longest will be back when darkness falls, hmmmm." She chuckled gleefully.

Zevran rested against the wall, content to sit in the shade until Torrodo was done. Gisella, however, was not about to let him have any peace. "You! Go upstairs and start helping Danica and Tony tidy up! Lazy, lazy, lazy good-for-nothing elves!" He ran inside and up the stairs before she could say or do anything else to him.


	36. Chapter Six 3 hangover

"No, I was just sleepy, mother. Really, I'm fine!" Leilani insisted, stuffing a piece of spicy sausage and several potato cakes into her mouth before the Teyrna could ask more questions. The family was seated around a small, round dining table, enjoying breakfast and a conversation as they viewed the scenery. One male and one female servant waited in attendance, occasionally refilling glasses and removing dishes. Neither servant appeared to be able to understand the common tongue, so the Couslands ignored them.

"I'm not done with you, young lady!" Eleanor chided, standing up for emphasis. "It's bad enough that your bedroom door was locked this morning, but what you did last night … what in the Maker's name were you doing? What were you thinking when you decided to go out by yourself? Do you have any idea what could happen to you?"

"What? End up in a whorehouse with a sore bum?" the girl mumbled back. She quickly covered her mouth, as if she wasn't aware that she had spoken aloud.

Fergus roared with laughter and leaned back, going so far as to topple his chair over. This, in turn, made his little sister laugh and point at him as she struggled to keep her food in her mouth. Their father was busy reading some scrolls and trying to ignore the exchange, but he too, could no longer hide his amusement. He snorted and started laughing. The Teyrna put her hands on her hips and shook her head at all of them, but the three Couslands continued giggling uncontrollably for several moments.

"Oh, Maker! Mum, you should see your face!" Fergus was still trying to catch his breath. His father helped him back into the chair.

"And you should see YOUR face. Are you still drunk? You'd better drink all your juice and water, or you'll have a huge headache in a few hours, young man." She returned to her seat as well, smoothing her skirts down as she grumbled with exasperations.

"Yes, Your Grace." He replied in a half-mocking tone.

"I swear! Does no one in this family take me seriously anymore? Pup. I mean it. You have got to be more careful. Bad things happen to people in this city… in this Maker-forsaken country, for that manner. You could have been kidnapped and held for ransom or something, and then what would we do?"

"Hahahaha! Hardly! That's a good one, Mother. Leilani held for ransom? By the time we get the note, she'd be on her way home and there'd be a few more dead bodies littering the streets of Antiva City, no doubt." Fergus ruffled his sister's head, messing up the neat braids that Lenora had plaited for her before breakfast started.

"Hey! I'm no vicious killer. I always give a warning first! And I know how bad people here treat other people, even children. Did you know that boy who guided us around yesterday said his friend got used by some grown-up for money ? Anybody tries that with me, and they'll be in for a violent surprise!" She batted his hand away and gestured menacingly at him with her fork.

"Stop interrupting me, young man! I've had enough of your comments to last me for a few months." Eleanor scolded him again.

"Darling, I'm afraid the boy has a point, though. Please, stop worrying so much. We all know that Leilani is…well, a special gift." The Teyrn paused to gulp down some more grape juice before continuing.

"She's smarter, stronger, and faster than many children twice her age. Maybe she just wanted to look after her brother and make sure he didn't run into any trouble on his birthday night. Everything turned out fine. And she won't do it again, right Pup?"

"Uh…yes. Right, Father. I promise I'll try not to do something like that again and make Mother worry about me." The girl was quick to reply.

"Yeah. My sister is special. Better than any other kids. She'll be fine, Mother," her brother added.

Eleanor sighed, shrugged her shoulders, and resumed eating her breakfast. The record-keeper, Brother Talbots, chose that moment to enter the dining area.

"Your Lordship, I have news." He held a few books and a neat stack of papers in his hand.

"Certainly, Talbots. What is it?" The Teyrn replied.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news, ser. First of all, the unfortunate event at the Cathedral this morning may prove to be in our favor for trade. The Antivan Circle of Mages and their chantry's Templars have confronted the Tevinter Ambassador, demanding reparations for the destruction of their Cathedral and threatening to cut off all trade. It seems as if the Tevinters don't want to claim any responsibility for this incident in light of recent skirmishes with Orlais that they still have yet to recover fully from. But they've agreed to stop collecting road taxes for any goods travelling along their Imperial Highway, at least for the next three years."

"That IS good news, indeed! We may be able to trade twice as much as we'd hoped for! Now, what's the bad news?"

"I'm afraid that this incident has also roused the peasants and middle class citizens. They seem to be in a very anti-foreigner mood. And the Templars are patrolling everywhere, detaining and questioning people, looking for anyone who is practicing unlawful magic. The mages say that a foreigner was the one who caused the Cathedral to blow up when the abomination was destroyed, and even though they're glad for it, they want to find out who's wandering around their country with all that power."

"Hmmm. Well. We wouldn't want to bring any attention to ourselves, then. It's a good thing we're leaving for Treviso tomorrow night. Unless you think we should leave earlier?"Bryce trusted the man's judgment.

"No, My Lord. That should be sufficient. Prince Farinno … Samael's people said we will be fine here. But we should probably avoid travelling anywhere besides the villa grounds and the other nobles' mansions."

The Teyrn looked to Eleanor, who nodded her head in agreement. "That's fine, then. Far be it from me to complain about being confined to luxury. But you two will have no more adventures touring the marketplace or anywhere else for that matter, alright?" She waited until both children made eye contact and nodded in understanding.

Bryce reached across the table for his wife's hand, hoping it would calm her nerves. "Thank you for the news, Brother Talbots. Would you be so kind as to inform the knights? They still haven't awakened yet."

"Yes, of course, My Lord." The man bowed, then headed out of the dining room.

"I'm finished now." Leilani stated, getting up out of her seat. "I'll go tell Lenora and Teresa the news. We're going out to the gardens today anyway. I promise we won't be far, Mother."

"Alright, alright. I can see the gardens from the balcony upstairs. Just don't stay out in the sun too long. And don't forget to read those history books we brought in your trunk. Just because we're on travel doesn't mean you get to neglect your studies."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" she saluted, then skipped out of the room and towards the stairs.

Fergus looked down at his half-empty plate and then clutched his belly. "Ugh… I don't feel so good all of a sudden. I think I'll go back to bed. Maybe mixing ale and wine and brandy wasn't such a good idea?" He looked up at his father and grimaced in pain before running from the table.

The Teyrn looked at his wife, who smiled knowingly before they both burst out laughing.

"Aye, we have a wonderful family."


	37. Chapter Six 4 cold sweat

The male servant collected a tray full of dishes and headed towards the kitchen. The rest of the servants eyed him warily, some with fear, others with barely disguised hatred in their furtive glances. He washed his hands and bent down to grab a basket of linens, preparing to go up the back stairs to the guest rooms above.

"Where are you going with that, Saul? Only the girls deliver the linens." The head housekeeper dared to challenge his actions.

"The foreigners do not know this. Now let me do my job. The sooner this is done, the sooner I will be gone from your kitchens for good." Saul flicked his long black pony tail back over his shoulder and walked quickly up the narrow stairway.

He delivered fresh towels to the rooms where the knights were sleeping on bunk beds, snoring heavily. At the next room, he quickly closed the door after seeing that the teenager was retching noisily. Saul continued making the rounds, just as he had observed the young elf woman do the previous day, before the Ferelden family arrived. In the master suite, he perused the contents of a folio, quickly scanning through several pages of documents. Their employer had no reason to be paranoid. No "secret correspondence" or anything to indicate the Teyrn was attempting to double-cross the Farinno merchant empire existed. He had already checked the record keeper's books earlier that morning, and was satisfied that everything in the noble's personal records mirrored the official documents. Honesty amongst the noble class? These Fereldens were very interesting. Strange, but interesting.

He opened the last bedroom door and was shocked to see one of the elf women and the young child sparring with daggers. The girl had one of her hands behind her back, and even though the woman had two daggers and seemed to have a fair amount of skill, the child still had her pinned down, back against the wall. The elf parried with her left, then thrust forward with her right arm. Too slow. The girl spun around, twisted back towards the woman and knocked the dagger out of her main hand. It skittered across the wood floor before it stopped, alarmingly close to his booted feet. Saul stared open-mouthed at the pair. In the split second it took for him to look down and step out of the way of the dagger, the little girl had grabbed the woman's other arm and had her pinned down beneath her with a sharp dagger to her throat.

"I yield. Mercy, child. You have progressed very well. " The woman got up slowly and made her way to the bench to sit down. The girl collected both daggers, laying them on the bed.

"Thanks, Lenora. Do you think I can find someone to make me some light armor when we get back to Ferelden?"

"I don't know. Maybe. My sister's husband may be able to make a set small enough. It's hard to say. But even so, you really are quite good. Better at hand-to-hand than I am now. Perhaps your mother will let me take you to the Dalish tribes for training eventually."

"Really? I'd like that." Leilani spotted the dagger next to Saul's feet and looked up at the man, suddenly switching to Antivan. "What are YOU doing here? You don't look like the other servants, and besides, I know that only the girls deliver linens here. Explain yourself!"

"I, uh, I…I'm here because the girls were busy." This was ridiculous. A mere child was making him nervous? How could he forget his training so easily? Saul fought to regain his composure. "Yes, miss. Some of the staff left to return to the Prince's mansion."

The girl eyed him for a moment, then crossed her little arms. She switched back to the language of Ferelden and cocked her head to one side before speaking to her aunt. "I think this one's a spy. Probably one of those Crow assassins, sent to check on us now that Samael Farinno had his elder brother murdered. What do you think, auntie?"

Saul was dumbfounded. Was this really a child? This must be what her father and brother had meant when they called her "special" earlier. He stared open-mouthed at her again, completely speechless. Why couldn't he move?

"Ah-ha! And he understands the common tongue well enough after all, doesn't he?" The girl continued tormenting him in a mocking tone. Lenora stood up and quickly crossed the floor, closing the door behind him. Saul was really starting to panic now. What had they done to him? He was trapped in here with a crazy foreign elf and a mad child! The girl took the basket from his arms, sat it on the floor beside him and pulled him down by his shirt until he was kneeling on the floor, eye-level with her.

She started playing with his pony tail and whispered softly to him, making the ordeal seem even more disturbing with her young, innocent voice. "Hello, assassin. I'm only going to tell you this once. You and your Crow friends should stay away from my family and I. Or you will not live to regret it. Do you understand?"

Saul broke out into a cold sweat, and his heart started beating furiously. He nodded, and she finally released her hold on his hair. "Good. Now get up, and leave from this place. You got whatever you came here for already. I heard you rummaging around in my parent's room a moment ago. So get lost!" The girl raised her voice at last, causing him to flinch. She continued to stare at him with her strange eyes as he finally realized he could move on his own again. Saul stood up, fumbled for the door handle behind him and left the room in a hurry. He ran down the grand front staircase, out the doors, past the guard shack and down the hill as fast as his legs could go, not even caring who saw him leave.


	38. Chapter Six 5 something evil

Zevran stretched his arms and rotated his neck. It had been a lot of work, helping Tony set the vanity, chests and bed back in place. But he was glad to assist the man in any way he could. After all, the elf had come from a scholar's house and had taught Zevran how to read and write the past three years, after ascertaining that the boy was eager and able to learn well.

"So, I guess the Templar paid you a visit last night?"

"Yes. Same as it's been every month for the past half year. He pays well, but he's violent. Even cracked one of my ribs this time." Tony replied. His chest was bandaged tightly, wrapped with gauze. He only wore a pair of short linen pantaloons, but the part of his body that was exposed was covered with bruises, and he walked with a noticeable limp. "Thank the Maker he doesn't come around more often. Danica, are you going to be alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," she said quietly. Despite the heat, the girl was clothed in a long deep blue gown that covered her from the neck down. She sat in the corner, curled up in a ball, occasionally rocking back and forth. Zevran thought Danica was going a bit soft in the head.

"But you know, he doesn't mean it. It's not really him doing those things." She looked to Tony with wide, tearful eyes.

"Oh? So it's not really him crashing into the room, throwing the furniture around and fucking you until you're almost senseless, then when I finally coax him off of you so you can breathe a little, he starts into me too?"

"No, that's not what I mean, Tony. Mario wouldn't do that, not him. I knew him. That man… something evil must have taken over him, I tell you."

"Great. That's just what we need. A big, dumb, bi-sexual, possessed shem with Templar training. That explains everything. And the bastard just left all of a sudden, too. Didn't even let me finish getting off this time, either." Tony threw his hands up in the air and gestured emphatically with a dramatic sniff and a fake sob. "Zevran, make sure she eats and drinks something today. That girl's wasting away underneath that dress, and she's probably got more bruises than me. Gisela's not going to be happy about having to explain another dead whore this month. That thing last week with Brandy and the butcher's jealous wife was bad enough."

"Alright. I'll keep an eye on her." The boy replied. The memories of finding Brandy with a meat cleaver planted in her skull, her wide, dead eyes staring up at him as flies buzzed around her body were not pleasant at all. Brandy was the one who had taught him how to speak the Ferelden's common language, having travelled to them the previous year to avoid spending another cold winter in Denerim. Why did he always have to be the one to help clean up after bad business?

"Good. I'm going to stay in Lou's room tonight and service the first-time kinks. Gotta go easy on these ribs for a while, ya know?" He left in a huff.

Zevran finished setting all the knick-knacks and assorted toiletries back on the vanity and gathered up the soiled bed sheets. "Danica, I'm going to drop off the laundry and get us something to eat. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay."


	39. Chapter Six 6 spoon fed

Torrodo met up with him on his way to the kitchen. "Hey, Zev. That slave-buying guy, Fernando was looking for you earlier. He told Gisela he'd be back later, after the Templars open the roads back up. What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think that whatever I think doesn't matter much at all. Sometimes I think that anywhere else has to be better than this place. But the thought of getting sold off… that really does scare me. I mean, none of the other boys we know who got sold in the past couple years ever came back."

"Well, would you come back to visit this place?" Torrodo chuckled. He was three years older than Zevran and his skin was darker, but they were the same height. He had seen much, and had no illusions about his lot in life.

"Yes, I think so. Eventually, whenever I could. I would come back just to say hi to you maybe. Is that okay?"

"Hmmph. Sure; if I'm still alive, that is. I'll be playing the lillo flute or the lute and probably servicing customers like Tony and Lou. But I'm not sure if I'd have much to say to a big-time assassin." He answered, half-jokingly.

"An assassin…what's that? Hahahaha. Well, anyway, I guess I'll have to pay you for your time then, eh?" Zevran teased him back, and the boy punched him playfully in the arm. "I gotta go now. Tony told me to keep an eye on Danica. She needs to eat something."

"Oh, yeah. You'd better go. She tried to slit her wrist last week when you were making delivery runs. I'll try to warn you if I see the buyer headed this way again."

"Brasca!" Zevran swore, and hurried to the kitchen to grab a bowl of warm oatmeal and figs. He ran back up stairs and got Danica to move away from the dark corner to the center of the room to where sunlight was streaming through the shutters. At first, the gaunt elven woman refused to eat, but then relented when Zevran told her she was going to ruin her pretty face if her teeth fell out from not eating. He spoon-fed her, as if she was a child. Once she consumed three-quarters of the bowl, she complained about being full, so he ate the rest. Danica was about to crawl back to her favorite corner, when they started hearing a commotion from downstairs.

"… But I MUST see her! You don't understand. I HAVE to see her!" a man was yelling. Soon, the clash of metal and the sound of heavy plate boots on the wooden steps could be heard. Zevran scooted closer to bed, about to hide underneath it if things got violent. He could now hear Tony out in the hallway.

"You! What are you doing coming back here? Haven't you done enough?"

"No, I'm…I, that wasn't me. PLEASE! You have to let me see her!"

"Fine! You pay up first, though. This is not the healer's house. We don't have visiting hours." Tony held out his hand stubbornly. Zevran could see that Lou and a few of the girls had stuck their heads out of their doors, eager to see what was going on in the hallway, but not about to lift a finger to help if things got dicey.

The tall Templar removed his helmet and gauntlets, then gave the elf half a sovereign. He stomped into the room, set the pieces of armor on a chest, and knelt next to the elven woman cowering in the corner. She had curled herself into a ball again, her arms wrapped protectively around her head.

Tony entered the room as well, closed the door behind him and dared to yell at the man again. "I'm watching you. She's hurt real bad. If you do anything but talk, I'll make sure the Crows hear about this..." He motioned for Zevran to come stand beside him while the Templar approached the girl.

"Danica? Danica…I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." The Templar started weeping.

The elven woman finally looked up at him and reached her hand out to touch his face. "Mario? Is that really you?"

"Aye, my love. I was such a fool to let my father and brother talk me into joining the Templars. By the time I found out they sold you to this brothel…that…that creature had gotten into my head!" He began sobbing again. The couple spoke together in soft whispers as Mario began removing his breast plate. As soon as his armor was off, he picked up Danica from the floor and sat down on the bed as he held her in his arms. She clung to him fiercely, and both were crying as he told his sad and horrifying tale of possession and enslavement under the false reverend mother.

"See Tony, I told you. He WAS possessed. " Danica's eyes were red and puffy, but she was smiling for the first time in months. Tony and Zevran looked at the pair, and then looked at each other incredulously.

"Well, be that as it may, what do you plan to do now?" Tony asked, crossing his arms against his chest in defiance as he glared at the human.

"I am done serving the Chantry. I'm going back home to Treviso, and I want to take Danica with me." He replied.

The elven man was already shaking his head in disagreement. "No. No, that is out of the question. You can't just prance in here with your shining armor and come take one of our whores away. Who do you think you are?"

"No, I… I'll pay for her. Whatever it takes." Mario countered.

Tony's ears perked up at hearing this. He remembered when the slave traders had first brought the girl to the back door of the house. She looked sad and small, and walked around with her head down, as if her spirit was already broken. There was no fire in her at all, although he supposed some men preferred women like that. Danica couldn't have cost more than four or five sovereigns at best. If he could press the Templar to pay twice as much, Gisella would be more than happy. He could fetch the slavers and buy two or three more healthy girls, ones with far less emotional problems and a perhaps a little more meat on their bones.

"Fine. Eighteen sovereigns, no less." The elven man expected the shem to haggle after hearing the absurd fee, but he was sorely mistaken.

"Here, then." The man reached into his belt pouch and counted out eighteen gold coins as Zevran stood with his mouth open. Tony could barely disguise his amazement.

"Danica, can you walk sweetheart?" Mario gently stroked her hair.

"No, I'm sorry. My left leg is hurt…." Danica didn't want to discuss any further details of her injuries.

The Templar winced, closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "Then I will carry you. My horse is not far. And I will take you to the healers before we travel north in the morning. Is there anything you wish to take with you?" The Templar looked around the room, grimacing as he eyed the threadbare rug, peeling paint and rickety furnishings.

"No, nothing."

"Wait – what about your armor?" asked Zevran.

"Keep it, or sell it. I don't care. Although I'm sure a few other Templars will stop by for a visit tonight and might take it back if the Knight-Commander tells them to go retrieve it."

"Let us leave this place at once, Danica." He stood up, and Tony opened the bedroom door so they could exit without interruption.


	40. Chapter Six 7 that is that

"Master Giordo!" Saul was breathless and sweating profusely by the time he arrived at the rug merchant's shop. He poured himself a glass of water at the vacant store counter and gulped it down before calling for his boss again.

"Come on up here and stop it with the yelling already!" Master Giordo replied from the upstairs rooms.

Saul still knocked before entering the Crow Master's rooms. He could not contain his sneer of disgust after noticing that both Andre and the human were naked under the sheets. The smell of sex was still in the air.

"So, what brings you here in such a hurry. Look at you – you're all breathless and sweaty. Is the entire foreign family dead?" Giordo noticed the man's facial expression. Saul had been with his cell for two years, but he was getting sloppy.

"No, no Master Giordo. But I have found the proof our client was asking for. The Fereldens are being honest. I have a copy of their records here. I had to leave in a hurry, though. Their daughter, the strange little girl, she – she threatened me. "

"What? Let me get this straight, Saul. You leave your post before your task is over, and now you dare to tell me that some little foreign girl scared you? How DARE you! Are you not a Crow?"

"Please, Master Giordo! No, listen! She is… she is an abomination or something. She knew about the whore houses and said that the madam had been selling little boys for sex. The girl even fought with daggers and paralyzed me… she said she'd come after the Crows if we didn't leave them alone. But the family isn't travelling anywhere in Antiva City because of what happened at the Cathedral and it not being safe for travelers or something. Please! You must listen!"

"I MUST? You are not only getting sloppy, you have lost your senses. We have done our investigating, and we know that there are no mages in this family, let alone the silly little girl who hops and skips around all day. But YOU… what you have done is inexcusable. How did anyone find out that you were a Crow to begin with?"

"I…I don't know… please, I'm telling you!" He put his head down, frustrated. It was too late, now. No one would listen.

Giordo nodded to Andre, who grabbed a dagger hidden between the mattress and the head board. He handed it back to the Master, who crept slowly out of the bed and approached his subordinate.

"Ah, Saul. You had so much potential. So eager, so cocky, so full of life. How could you forget your training so quickly?"

The dejected assassin tried to deflect the Master's blade with his own, shorter dagger, but it was too little, too late. He didn't even see Andre until he materialized out of the shadows, stabbing him once in the side of his neck with a poisoned blade as Master Giordo finished him off with a sharp stab to his heart.

The two naked men watched the body crumple to the floor with disinterest. Andre dragged the bleeding corpse to a tub and wiped up the trail of blood with the sheet that had been wrapped around his own waist just a moment earlier.

"Well, that is that. The House of Crows does not abide by fools. I'm going to wash up a bit, then head out to the Farrino Estate to give our new Prince Samael the news. And collect the rest of our payment, of course." Giordo stretched and yawned. "Andre, I will need you to contact Master Antoine and Fernando. Tell them the news about the whore house and let me know what they say. I am hoping this will satisfy the debt I owe him."

"Yes, of course. Would you like me to visit the guest villa to keep an eye on those Ferelden's again tonight?"

"No, that will not be necessary. Saul had that right, at least. The foreigners aren't going anywhere until tomorrow night. And then they will be someone else's problem, no?" The auburn-haired Crow Master reached down to retrieve the records that Saul had dropped and smiled across the room at Andre.

Andre smiled back. He liked being the favored one, and he liked being in this unique position to see how the most powerful men of the city operated. As soon as Giordo left the room, he started cleaning off his daggers and applied a fresh line of poison to his favorite blade. He called for a few initiates in the back alley apartments to dispose of the body in the tub, and thought nothing else about the dead assassin's warning.


	41. Chapter Six 8 getting carried

Fernando was furious when he heard the news. He often wondered how Gisella could afford the black-market lyrium his cousin was peddling, and now he knew the truth. The Crows were always supposed to get 20% of the profits as payment for protection services, but she had been holding out. Not to mention letting boys get used like that… what did she think she was doing? Everyone knew such things happened, but The Veil was not a desperate slum house where the selling of children was as common as dumping trash into the river. If others in the middle-class district knew what was going on, the establishment would be shut down and they'd be forced to find a temporary spot in the slums for a while, at a significant cost to business. That fat bitch was going down!

As he passed by several row houses and a butcher shop, he saw a muscular young man walk out the back door of The Veil with a skinny elf woman in his arms. How odd. He spotted Tony, the savvy young whore who often gave him information about the clientele and was about to ask him some questions, but the elf beat him to it.

"Fernando! It is good to see you. I have three and a half sovereigns for you – your share of the cut."

The blue-eyed Antivan put his hand on his chin, smoothed down his beard and looked at Tony's bandages and bruises before asking, "What cut? What's going on, Tony? Wasn't that Danica I just saw getting carried out of here?"

"Yes, yes. I just sold her for 18 sovereigns! Gisela is busy in the front courtyard with the dancing girls, passing out drinks and bossing the orphan kids around as usual. She doesn't even know about this yet." Tony laughed, then frowned as he noticed the Crow's serious expression.

"Yes, well, Gisella isn't going to know about a lot pretty soon. Did you know she's been whoring out some of the younger boys to nobles?"

"What? No, I didn't know this. I would have told you right away if I had known… Dear Maker, is she insane? We could get shut down for this! Damn it! I'll make sure the boys start telling me what's going on around here." Tony was clearly upset and dismayed at the news.

Fernando was satisfied that the elf had no idea what Gisella had done. "Hey. I'm putting you in charge. I'm sure Master Antoine will want to send another one of his cast-offs here, but you'll be the real boss. Not some woman who can't tell her ass from a hole in the ground, human or not. You know this place better than any of the other girls here now, and I trust you. Just don't let me down, okay?" He paused to unbutton the sleeve of his shirt and rolled it up to his elbow. "Hey, do you know where that blonde-haired elf kid is?"

"Yes, he's in the front with Gisella, I think."

"Okay. Now I gotta go take care of this loose end. Go round up some folks to help you add another hefty corpse to the crematorium's pile, got it?"

Tony was wide-eyed, but he understood exactly what the assassin meant. He was ready to step up to the challenge, and was already thinking about a few changes he would make. The dark-haired elf nodded, then walked quickly inside to find some assistants.

Gisella eyed the Crow as he walked through the front door and quickly sat down her tray. "Zevran, get over here NOW, you lazy good-for-nothing elf!" She quickly changed her tone and smiled sweetly at him as Fernando approached. "

"Ah, Fernando. So good of you to visit us again. Twice in one day, no less! Here is the boy I was talking about earlier."

He almost gagged when she batted her eyelashes at him. Did she honestly think all that makeup made her more attractive? Fernando sighed, but forced himself to smile at her anyway. "Yes, so this is the one called Zevran? Come, let's go to the back courtyard to discuss a few things."

The plump woman seemed a little surprised at this, but followed him anyways. She grabbed Zevran painfully by the ear and shoved him in front of her, in case the boy dared to try to run and hide again before she received payment for the transaction. She needn't have bothered, though. As soon as she ventured into the back alley courtyard, Fernando quickly sidestepped until he was positioned directly behind her and slit her throat from ear to ear.

The assassin had his eyes on the golden-haired elf boy the entire time, and he noticed that the child didn't even flinch when Madame Gisella fell down to the flagstones, gurgling angrily in her death throes. The boy simply stepped out of the way to avoid the blood spray and looked down at the woman, then back up at him. No questions, no widening of the eyes in fear or astonishment, and not even a frown or a smirk.

"Yes, you'll do nicely, Zevran." Fernando cleaned off his blade on the hem of the woman's dress and slipped it back in his sheath. "Tony!"

Tony emerged from the house quickly, as if expecting to be called. Zevran wasn't exactly sure what to do, but he felt numb, and thought it would be best if he didn't say anything.

"Ah, Fernando. Already? We'll get right to it, then." Tony called for a couple of the other elven boys and one of the new whores to help him get rid of the mess.

"Tony. How much do you want for this boy?" he pointed towards Zevran.

Tony shrugged and put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun before answering. Children usually sold for only one or at most two gold pieces, but Zevran was exceptionally smart, after all. "Oh, I don't know. About two or three sovereigns maybe? He's a good worker, and already knows the Common tongue."

"Alright then. Here's three. Take care. I'll be sure to tell the owner that he has a new, better manager. And I'll be back next week to collect our weekly take, or else I'll send one of my brothers."

"Thank you, Fernando. Have a good night then."

"You too." The assassin motioned towards the boy and ordered him to follow him. He was silent as they travelled across midtown and over the bridges towards the western side of the city. The late afternoon sun was shining brightly through the dark clouds that gathered from the east, and only a few people walked the streets during siesta. As they approached another series of Tanner's shops, the Crow finally spoke.

"Boy. Your life is not going to get any easier. The training is harsh. Just remember - you must survive, no matter what. Do what you're told, be loyal to the Crows above all else, and survive. Understand?"

"Yes, ser." Zevran replied. Large drops of rain started to fall, and the sound of thunder crashing could be heard in the distance

"Good. Now I'm dropping you off at one of our recruit training facilities. Don't get too chummy with anybody. You'll probably have to kill them at some point." With that last remark, the Crow opened a large wooden door and pushed the young elf inside.

The door slammed abruptly behind him. Zevran had trouble seeing at first, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was in a large, dusty warehouse with a row of cages on an elevated platform along two of the walls. A blood-stained pit was in the center of the room, and the few small windows at the top of the building did not let in much fresh air or light. A tall, thin human man with a bald head and a nose like a hawk's beak shouted orders to a few elves who were carrying some large bundles out the back door, and then turned to look at him.

"Great. Another elf. And this one has yellow hair like some foreigner's little bastard. What will they think of next? Boy, what's your name?"

"Zevran. Zevran Arainai."

The bald man wrote something down on a piece of parchment as raindrops danced noisily against the tin roof. An auburn-haired teenage boy suddenly appeared next to Zevran's side, grabbed him roughly by the elbow and latched a cold iron collar around his neck. "Welcome to the House of Crows. Your training begins now. You will either die here or die later, but from this point on, for as long as you live, you belong to the Crows."


	42. Chapter Six 9 ribbons

It was sweltering hot by the time the Cousland family and their retinue boarded the Rivaini ship headed up the bay towards Treviso. Eleanor, Fergus, Brother Talbots, the knights and the maids all went to rest under a shaded alcove, leaving the Teyrn and his daughter on the port side of the deck, discussing current events with the crew. Steam could be seen rising from the deck and the dock as the remnants of last night's rain evaporated in the harsh sun. The dark-skinned captain with his many gold hoop earrings captivated Leilani on first sight. While they waited for the sailors to load their trunks, he regaled her with tales of his adventures encountering a multitude of various sea beasts on the deep Amaranthine Ocean.

"It's good to see you again, Captain Montalban. Looks like the extra delay wasn't such a bad thing after all, seeing as how the storm passed." Their voyage had been postponed by half a day as a team of inspectors searched every merchant vessel, looking for Tevinters.

"Aye, Lord Cousland. It is my pleasure to do business with an honest merchant and landowner, yes? And what a wonderful family you have! This one reminds me of my own daughter, so lively and full of energy, hahaha. I just wish we could meet under better circumstances. 'Tis a shame for us to have to leave so quickly from Antiva City, like priests sneaking out of a brothel."

"Yes, I hope this mood passes quickly." Bryce leaned against a green and white painted railing, watching as Leilani jumped in and out of a large circle of rope that was neatly coiled on the shiny wooden deck. "Be careful, Pup. You could trip and fall."

"Okay! I'll be careful." The girl yelled back. Leilani liked playing in the warm sunshine with her bright yellow dress. She imagined she had stepped into a viper's pit and was busy dodging the angry serpent's coils.

The Rivaini barked a few orders to his men and then resumed his conversation with the Teyrn. "I am sure this mood will pass. As soon as their chantry appoints a new revered mother or some such nonsense, everyone will come to their senses and accept all foreigners with open arms again. All this talk of abominations taking over a house of worship and other bad happenings…" the man grabbed his long beard and spat over the side of the ship before continuing. "Well, it makes me almost want to convert to the Qun."

The ever-wary captain spotted a well-muscled young man leading a horse and carrying a large sack over his shoulder with a tiny elven woman at his side headed toward his gangplank. "Speaking of bad happenings, please excuse me for a moment." As he approached the couple, Leilani stopped playing with the imaginary snake and paid attention to their conversation as he started speaking in Antivan.

"You there! This is a fair trade vessel, not a slaver's ship. State your business and why you approach my deck seeking passage with this young maiden."

"No, ser. This is my wife…. I mean, I want her to be my wife. But no one will marry us here. Please, ser. We wish to go to Treviso, to stay with my mother's family. I have coin to pay."

"Oh really? And what does the young lady say about this?" He looked down at the elf and she reached for the young man's arm before answering the captain.

"I am Danica, and this is Mario. Everything he says is true. We heard you might be travelling to Treviso before you went back to Dairsmuid, and we would very much like to book passage with you."

Captain Montalban flicked the earrings in his left ear and sighed before answering her. "Very well. Come, come, go into the shade. You have lovely fair skin and we wouldn't want you to burn in this hot sun."

He shooed her away and Leilani watched as the woman scurried towards the alcove, lifting up her skirts a little as she moved slowly across the deck. Despite the hot sun, she was wearing an ankle-length, long-sleeved grey gown with a white scarf that covered her neck.

The captain ordered a crew member to lead the horse to an enclosed area near the stern and addressed the young Antivan man again. "So, Mario. What do you intend to do with your lady, Danica? Life will certainly not be easy for you here in Antiva, no?"

"I don't care what other humans say. Elves are people, too. She…she is my… everything. I will do whatever it takes to protect her now."

"Oh? Why not come to Rivain with me then? We stupid shem who are lucky enough to have one of the elven ladies return our love should not have to live where others think they are no more than slaves. My wife, bless her tiny little heart, she has given me five strong sons and one beautiful daughter. And no one bats an eyelash at us when we walk hand-in-hand through the town square together and see her pointy ears. In Dairsmuid, all races live together in peace and worship whatever gods they choose. Would you…would she not be happier there? Or is something else holding you here?"

"My mother's family – my grandparents, had no son. My older brother and father are too busy dealing with the rest of their merchant empire to pay attention to a few minor vineyards. I was going to go and help them, and take their family name before my father convinced me to join the Templars. He thought I was going crazy when I said I loved Danica. I prayed often, but it didn't cure me of any craziness. So, I was going to leave the Templars before initiation to find her and travel to Treviso. But that evil, disgusting thing got in my head! The things it made me do…. I hate magic!" The man paused, overcome with emotion.

"The other Templars that survived said they wouldn't report me or go after me if I left, since I hadn't ever taken my vows with the Chantry anyway. So I took back all the money I had donated when I joined and got as far away from that Maker-forsaken place as I could. If there's even a Maker after all. I don't know what to believe any more."

The Rivaini was wide-eyed and attentive. "Well, who's to know what is really believable or not? You needn't say anything more. Have a cool drink in the shade and spend some time with your sweetheart. We will be underway soon." He motioned for his deck hands to take the man's luggage and followed him to the passenger's sheltered deck area as they ship sailed out of the port.

Leilani sat next to the Antivan elf and noticed that the woman's hands were barely bigger than her own. "Hey, Danica, why are you so skinny?" she asked, startling the woman.

"I, uh, I was not well. But I prayed to the Maker often when things were hard to bear. I'm much better now, I think." She replied, looking at Mario.

"So you didn't eat because you had a broken heart?" the girl continued pestering her.

"Um, yes, I suppose so. Why do you ask this? Children should not be concerned about such things." Mario sat down next to her and wrapped his arm lightly around her shoulders.

"So, you still pray to the Maker, even though he hurt you?" Leilani got up from the bench and stood in front of the couple so she could see both of them while they talked.

"The Maker does not hurt anyone, child." Danica replied, she looked towards the girl's parents, but they were busy speaking in the Ferelden tongue with the captain at the other table and were not paying attention to their child at all.

"I'm not talking about the Maker, I'm talking about him… he, Mario hurt you when he didn't mean to, right?"

"What…how? How do you know this?" Mario replied, dumbfounded.

"I heard you tell the captain you got possessed. That's what possessed people do, they hurt other people. Even if they don't really mean to. I think. Yes, that's what I remember reading." Leilani started fidgeting with the ties on her sundress, then looked back at Danica. "You should eat a lot more. You have to heal and get strong, for the baby. So he can stay in your belly until he's ready to come out."

Danica burst into tears and buried her face in Mario's chest. He hugged her close and comforted her, all the while looking at the strange little girl who seemed to notice so much more than other people could see.

"Please, stop. You've upset her now."

"I'm sorry. But she shouldn't worry about it. You are his father."

"What? You can see that?" Perhaps miracles existed after all, the man thought. Who was he to say if something was impossible or not? After all, an apostate mage had become a Revered Mother and the Grand Cleric of Antivan City and then had gotten herself blown up. Mario gently rubbed his mate's back and decided to listen to what this strange girl had to say.

"Yes. It's as plain as day. You're red, she's yellow. The baby's orange with ribbons from both of you. And really tiny, like a pea in a pod. He's going to grow a lot more. And…oh! No wonder she walks so slow!" Leilani frowned, and then smiled. "There! That's better."

Suddenly, a whale popped to the surface and shot a huge column of air and water out of its blowhole, startling passengers and crew alike. Leilani ran to the starboard railing to get a closer look and squealed with delight when other whales also appeared near the ship. "Captain! It's the sea beasts! Wow! Whole bunches of 'em!" She exclaimed. Rialto Bay was teaming with life, as dolphins and whales converged to the area to give birth in the warm, sheltered waters off the coastline.

Lenora stood next to Leilani to prevent her from leaning too far from the railing as she watched the wonders below. As the large whales moved farther away, a few dark grey dolphins jumped playfully out of the water and splashed near the vessel, seeming to put on a show for the passengers.

"Hey Lenora!" Leilani whispered loudly as the wind blew her pony tails around. "Those dolphins talk just like Toby does, in my head. They keep saying, 'Greetings, Protector!' What does that mean? Why are they calling me The Protector? What should I say?"

Lenora marveled at the wonderful sights and wasn't sure how to reply to her charge. "Just say hello back to them, and…oh, just be yourself, girl. I'm sure you'll think of something."

Even the sailors at the rigging paused and smiled at the friendly display. The girl in the yellow sundress laughed, waved, clapped and giggled at the creatures. Her brother and the knights all joined in to encourage the dolphins, pointing and cheering them on. Everyone appreciated the moment, and the Cousland mother and father, who had seen such sights before, enjoyed watching their children's exuberant reaction.

The Antivan couple hugged each other closely as they watched the show. They, too, had never seen anything like it. Danica was shocked to discover she could walk normally as they headed back to sit down after the ship finally passed by the group of animals.

"But, I thought the magi healers said your hip was fractured and it would take a long time to heal?" Mario stared at her incredulously.

"Mario, I no longer feel any pain." She pushed up the sleeve of her dress to show him her smooth, unbroken skin. There was not a bruise or welt or any blemish left at all. "Maker be praised! I am healed!

"How is this possible?" He remembered the horror of feeling trapped in his own skin as he watched himself slap and punch his beloved's body right before he ravished her violently. Mario hated himself for it, and seeing the imprint of his own gauntlets upon her once-beautiful skin for the past two days as he applied healing poultices and helped her dress drove him to tears quite a few times. And the healers weren't much help at all. They said she would probably have trouble walking for a very long time and would most definitely lose the baby. He didn't even care if it was his or not, he just wanted both of them to be healthy and safe. This was a miracle.

The former Templar watched as the little girl rummaged around in a basket and started passing out sandwiches to everyone. She smiled and approached Danica with two wrapped loaves.

"We bought extra sandwiches. Salami, pepperoni, cucumbers, olives, some kind of sweet peppers and oil & vinegar. Would you like some?"

"Yes, that sounds delicious. Thank you very much." His love immediately unwrapped one and started eating as if she hadn't had a good meal in days. He was very glad to see her appetite had finally returned. His grandmother, Maria Seldano, would no doubt try to stuff Danica with food as soon as she found out about her delicate condition. The Seldanos had always treated both the Dalish and city elves that worked in their vineyards with kindness, and were known to be friendly to people of all races. His grandparents would welcome his new family with open arms, after of course scolding him for taking so long to arrive. He laughed for the first time in many days.

Mario looked to the girl, who had started nibbling on her own sandwich on the other side of the bench. "Thank you, little one. What is your name?"

"Leilani Cousland. You can call me Lani! What's your name?"

"I am Mario Pinelli…no, Seldano now. Mario Seldano."

"Okay, Mario. When I grow up and want to buy some grapes and wine, I'll come see you at your famous vineyard!"

Mario laughed at the girl's optimistic attitude and thought, 'Why not?' "Yes, yes, come visit us when you are a most famous merchant princess, and we will be happy to give you a good discount!"

Two hours passed by without interruption. Leilani had fallen asleep, her head resting in Lenora's lap as the elf sat reading the Chant of Light. The captain approached the Antivan couple, speaking quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping child.

"So, did you not say you wished to be married?"

"Yes, Captain. But none of the Chantry priests in Antiva City would perform the ceremony for us." He replied.

"Hahaha, of course THEY wouldn't. But I am Captain of The Siren's Call and will be happy to do this for you. I have even spoken to the Cousland's record keeper and he can make a copy of the Rivaini certificate of marriage for you, so there will be no doubts. We will arrive at Treviso in an hour. Do you wish to become husband and wife?"

"Yes, yes! You would do this for us?" The young couple looked at each other, and then back up at Captain Montalban, all smiles.

"Yes, of course. This is my last voyage in The Siren's Call before I sell her. My sons are busy building our new, larger vessel. Now come follow me to the front in case I need to take the wheel again. The coral reefs here can be a bit tricky to navigate."

Danica removed her grey woolen overdress, revealing a simple white cotton gown underneath. The Antivans followed the captain and joined the Couslands and their record keeper who were already at the wheel. Captain Montalban had the couple recite their vows to each other and the Maker and even translated for the Couslands who were witnessing the blessed event. Within a few minutes, Mario Pinelli Seldano and Danica Fallonwyn were pronounced husband and wife. The couple kissed, then shook hands with their witnesses as everyone signed two sets of documents.

The Teyrn brought out a few bottles of red wine from his chests and all the adult passengers on board toasted the young couple "To life, love and happiness!" Everyone cheered when Mario lifted Danica up and twirled her around the deck near the front of the ship, dancing to music only they could hear. Bryce and Eleanor kissed each other as well; glad to be part of such a happy voyage.

Underneath the alcove in the middle of the ship, Leilani tossed and turned, whimpering a little until Lenora smoothed her hair. She dreamed of being trapped in filthy cage, watching as children fought and killed each other until blood covered the entire floor. All was not well in the world.


	43. Chapter Seven 1 them collars

Chapter Seven – Survivors

For the first time in his life, Zevran was awakened by the harsh shriek of a whistle instead of a burly madam yelling at him to attend to some chores. He watched from his cage, resting on a thin burlap sack and some hay as a teenage Crow unlocked five cages and led children who looked just as miserable as he did outside the back door. A few minutes later, the thin bald man who greeted him the previous night arrived through the front doors with seven more teenagers. One of them carried what appeared to be a basket of knives.

Zevran shifted to find a more comfortable position and stuck his fingers under the iron collar around his neck, trying in vain to sooth his irritated skin.

The freckled human boy in the cage to his right had a nasty cut on his arm. He sat up and whispered to Zevran through the bars. "Hey. Ya know why they puts them collars on us, dontchya?"

Zevran remained silent. He wasn't sure if they would be punished for talking or not, and since the boy was whispering, it was a safe bet that conversations amongst the caged recruits were frowned upon.

The boy continued whispering, nervously rifling his fingers through his matted brown curls. "They puts them collars on us so's if'n we die overnight, we don't rise from the dead and attack 'em. I seen it! Bodies gettin' possessed and a- stirrin' about somethin awful-like! Them collars keeps the undead ones from fightin' back somethin fierce. The Crows - they just stab 'em in the cages, drag 'em out and dump the bodies! I seen the older kids cartin 'em off to the cremators, they do!"

Zevran frowned at this bit of news, but refused to reply. He saw the tall, skinny, hawk-nosed man staring at the boys in the cages. The man had a thin piece of wood in his hands, and was busy writing something on some parchment as his eyes moved over each and every one of the children. When he noticed Zevran watching him, the man narrowed his eyes and frowned, scribbling furiously.

Cut-arm boy kept whispering. "I ain't goin' out like that, I ain't! I been here a week, and if I don't last till next week, I hope ya'll kill me in the pit before I turn undead!"

"You there! Silence! This is your only warning, Elrik." The man yelled.

"Yes, Master Tomas."

All was quiet again until the auburn-haired teenager from the previous night opened his cage and led him outside with four other boys. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Zevran looked down the hillside and could actually see the quay across the field and through some bushes. The freedom of the bright blue open sea appeared achingly close. He had heard of a few boys at the whore house who ventured off to become sailors, but wasn't sure if that was even possible now that he was owned by the Crows.

After being allowed to relieve themselves, they were ordered to strip down and begin drawing buckets of water from the nearby well to wash both themselves and their raggedy garments. They were to hang their clothes on lines of rope that were tied between several tall birch trees and be done within 15 minutes. Other threadbare garments were already hanging on the lines, a testament to the other boys who had ventured out earlier and could be seen running in groups on the grassy field below the warehouse. Master Tomas had followed them outside, watching the newest recruits as they scrambled to finish their tasks in the bright morning sun. It was already very hot, and it wasn't even close to noonday yet.

"Master Tomas, this one here actually has some footwear!" The teenager yelled to the Crow as he watched Zevran step out of the leather boots and set them near the side of the building before running off to grab a bucket.

"Yes, Hans, he will not last long. Who would have thought that a whoreson would be so well taken care of," the man replied in a droll tone.

He pointed to Zevran. "Little whoreson! Make sure you don't even dream of trying to go back to the comforts of your former house. Anyone found walking around the city with a collar on is killed on sight. And you know us Crows… we are watching. Always watching, everywhere."

The golden-haired elf finished his task in ten minutes, standing quietly while the other three boys were still trying to wring the excess water out of their clothes. He tried his best not to smirk at them while they fumbled about. Doing the laundry - especially if it was just his own - was as easy as eating cake.

"You're finished, eh? Good. Now put on these short pants and drink one glass of water. Do your exercises until your clothes dry. Be ready to eat in an hour; no more, no less."

Hans sat an hourglass down on a rickety pine table next to five other devices and yelled at Elrik to hurry and teach the boys how to do their morning exercise routine. They performed some brief stretching exercises and quickly ran down the hill to join the other groups of boys in light blue rough spun shorts who were already running around the grassy beach behind the training facility.

True to his word, Hans called for the boys an hour later. They were the last group to clamor up the hillside; the other quintets had already ventured back towards the warehouse in regular intervals. Elrik wrapped a fresh strip of cloth around his wounded arm, and his four fellow recruits sat down at the rickety bench. They were each given a large bowl of hot gruel with bits of sausage and an orange to eat. Zevran marveled at the feast set before him. He had never had a breakfast so tasty and filling! His belly bulged and he belched after drinking his second glass of clean water. The young elf looked down the hillside and out toward the water again. He spotted a green and white ship sailing across the bay before grabbing his boots and clothes. As he and the others followed Hans back inside the warehouse, Zevran wondered what it would be like to sail away to points unknown.

They were told to sit down on the wooden floor near the front of the building as the teenagers placed fresh straw in the pit behind them. A few other adult Crows had arrived, and some were busy conversing with Master Tomas as he showed them his notes. The other groups of boys were already in their cages, writing on wooden planks or busy reading from various books.

A short human with slanted eyes and pale, yellow skin approached the children sitting on the floor and began speaking in a harshly accented tone, "Listen well! A Crow must be a master of every situation. Intelligence and cunning are necessary assets to our organization. Your ability to observe and act on the knowledge you've gained about a given situation can be just as, or even more useful to you as your skill with a blade." The man crossed his hands behind his back and started pacing back and forth in front of the boys, his long black robe swishing as he walked.

"You children will be taught to read and write and perform simple arithmetic. Those of you who survive your early recruit training will be assigned to a Crow cell where you will partake in more advanced training and become initiates until you take your formal oath. Those of you who are either unwilling or unable to exercise your brain as well as your body will be assigned to assist with mundane chores or whatever other tasks the Masters deem necessary. Things that to do not require a high intellectual capacity." He finally paused and made eye contact with every boy before continuing.

"You may call me Master Yorichi. When I call your name, you will respond and tell me how old you are and if you know how to read or write yet. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Master Yorichi." The boys all yelled in unison.

"Elrik, I already know you know next to nothing. Are you going to survive this week and perhaps make it to your eleventh birthday?"

"Uh, I dunno, ser…"

The Crow sighed with disappointment and shook his head before calling the next boy's name. "Donatello!"

"Yes, ser, I'm seven. I can read a little and know my numbers from helping out at the marketplace." The rather heavy-set elf boy sitting next to Zevran responded.

"Alright. Miguel!"

"Um, yes, that's me, ser. I'm eight. I learned a little about how to read and write at the Alienage." The wide-eyed elf with long brown hair tied into a ponytail like a girl seemed afraid of his own shadow. He would probably not last long in this place at all.

"And Olaf? What sort of name is Olaf?" He stared at the human boy with reddish brown hair.

"Yes. My father was from the Anderfels. He died last year, and I've been at the Chantry orphanage. But now I'm here. And I'm nine and I can read and write in Antivan and Orlesian."

"Well, well, aren't we special. Except that you aren't. We are the Crows, and until you earn the right to be called one of us truly, you will be taught how to respect and obey." The man walked over to the boy and hit him across his back with a long hickory switch that seemed to appear out of thin air. "Remember to address your elders as Ser, or else by their proper title. That goes for all of you. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Yorichi!" The boys again responded in unison. Olaf cringed in pain, fidgeting as his back started to welt.

"Now, that leaves Zevran."

"Yes, Master Yorichi, here I am! I am seven. I can read and write in Antivan and the Ferelden Common tongue, and I know a little Orlesian. And I am well capable of counting the change I've pickpocketed from wealthy nobles in the marketplace."

The Crow couldn't help but laugh at the boy's clever remark. The other boys smiled, though not quite sure what he was laughing at. "It seems that this group has some promise after all, then." Yorichi switched to the Common tongue and began asking Zevran a series of questions. "So, you come from a whore house?"

"Yes, ser," he replied.

Yorichi was pleased that the boy refrained from responding with any further comments. Too many youngsters were eager to give up information and had to be taught to limit their remarks. "And what did you do at this whore house? Elaborate"

"I performed various chores, ser. Washing the laundry, delivering messages and other things to other parts of the city, helping some of the whores tidy their rooms. I also spent many mornings in the center of the market, near the fountain. Some of us learned how to guide the tourists around the city and would be paid for this, or else trick the foreigners out of their coin. A few nights, I would spend at the whore house the nobles would visit and receive coins for my kisses."

"Oh, and did you have a sweetheart?"

"No, ser. I am not sure what you mean."

"You were seen escaping from the window of a wealthy merchant's villa, having spent the night with a little foreign girl just a couple days ago, it seems. Do you not remember this? The Crows see all!"

"Oh, yes ser. I remember doing that. But she was just a girl I met. I do not have a sweetheart."

"Good, good, that is enough." Master Yorichi paused to write some things in a book he was carrying. He resumed speaking in Antivan and addressed the entire group of boys again. "Each of you will be given a tablet and some writing charcoal. Every night, if you know how to read, you will be assigned to read certain passages out of a book and respond to a few questions based on your skill level. If you survive to week 12, I or another scholar will start teaching you some arithmetic skills then." The man started handing them some tablets and charcoal sticks from a table beside him.

A few hours passed, and suddenly, one of the teenagers sounded a whistle. The newest recruits were all ordered back into their cages, and the three most veteran groups of recruits all lined up against one wall. A few minutes later, fifteen boys wearing yellow short pants filed into the building and faced off with just a few feet between them and the children from this warehouse. It was clear to Zevran that the Crows had more than one of these "training facilities".

Master Yorichi stood next to the newest recruits' cages and spoke quietly to them through the bars. "Watch closely and see who wins and who loses the fights. Those of you who can learn by observation may be able to survive the next 16 weeks, more so than those who can only learn by doing. I will return tomorrow and expect you all to finish your tasks, or feel the burn of my switch." With that remark, the man turned on the heel of his boot and disappeared quietly out of the front door.

The adult crows had gathered around the pit, and began calling the first set of fighters into the center. Each boy was given a dagger and told to fight for his life. The first five sets were given two minutes to fight, the next five three minutes, and the most veteran recruits were given four minutes to survive or destroy their opponent. By the time it was over, nine small bodies lay stacked in a gore-soaked pile on one side of the pit, while several other boys were being bandaged up by the teenagers who scurried about, running errands while the adult Crows cheered on the fights.

Zevran watched every fight, wondering what it would feel like to wrap his hands around a knife and try to fend off an attacker; or how he could even gather up the courage to actually stab someone else like he had seen a few of the other boys do.

Miguel lay whimpering in the corner of his cage to Zevran's left. The boy hadn't even bothered to watch; instead curling up into a ball and whispering bits of the Chant of Light. Olaf scowled at the younger boy from the other side of his cage. When he noticed Zevran watching, he sneered at him.

"What're you looking at, you dirty knife-ear!"

"Not much at all, at the moment." Zevran answered with a smirk, then ignored him. He resumed watching the bloody spectacle and experienced a twinge of dismay when he saw one of the teenage boys shake his head at a wounded elf that was clutching his belly. The older elf slashed the boy's neck and carelessly tossed his body on top of the pile of other corpses, wiping his hands on his blood-splattered leggings before moving across the room to attend to the other children.

Master Tomas clapped his hands and called everyone to attention. The other adult Crows exchanged pleasantries before heading out the door, a few counting their gambling winnings with glee. Hans and a few other teenagers took turns leading some boys back to their cages, while others were ordered to the pit to practice with blunted blades. All too soon, it was their turn. Master Tomas approached the set of cages near Zevran and yelled at the boys to stand up and enter the pit.

Once Zevran followed Hans' demonstration and figured out how to hold the dagger properly, he eagerly faced off against the other four boys. Elrik and Olaf were already trying to stab each other, while Miguel and Donatello were looking down at the ground and eyeing the pile of stinking corpses. It was clear they wanted to be anywhere else but here. Zevran almost slipped on the bloody floor when Olaf slashed angrily at his shoulder, but he dodged the blow from the stronger human boy and blocked the next one with his arm.

Furious, Olaf tried to rush him again, but this time, Zevran was ready. He kicked the boy in his left shin and then stabbed him in the torso when he went down, just as he had seen a few of the other kids do earlier. The dull blade didn't break his skin, but it would still hurt.

Olaf fell to the ground with an "oof" as the wind was knocked out of him. Miguel saw the opportunity of a lifetime and he started punching and kicking the arrogant child, yelling "Stupid shem! I'll teach you to call us knife-ears!" Donatello even got in a few kicks before Elrik stabbed him in the back with the blunted blade and he was forced to counter this new opponent.

"Alright, that's enough for now! You can kill each other later." Hans broke up the fighting and laughed at Olaf as he struggled to get up. "I guess that'll teach you to go charging forward at someone like a stupid bull, eh?"

The boys were ordered to drink water and go outside to exercise for the second time that day. They put their normal clothes back on after cleaning up and washing their short pants, then ate another hearty meal before being locked in their cages again. Hans told them all to study until the light grew too dim, so Zevran read his book about the Orlesian monarchy and wrote down answers to Yorichi's questions, yawning as the evening heat took its toll on his senses. Right before he fell asleep, he watched Hans and the other teenagers remove iron collars from the corpses. As they stacked the dead children's bodies onto a cart, he noted how the blood drained off through a grate in the floor of the pit and out through a small hole near the ground along the back wall.

Zevran stuck his feet in his boots, afraid that the rats might try to nibble on his toes while he slept. He swore that he would never end up in any cart headed for the crematorium. He would learn whatever skills he needed, and do whatever it took to survive.


	44. Chapter Seven 2 spring festival

"Bryce, you spoil that girl too much. You should wake her up and make her walk like the rest of us."

"Nay, my dear. Be it never said that the Teyrn of Highever was too proud to carry his own sleeping daughter up a hillside."

"Well, I'm glad you're doing it, love. I'm having enough trouble carrying myself up all these steps, let alone another." Lady Eleanor was envious of the young Antivan couple who had been let off with their horse at a pier ten minutes to the south, where it was relatively flat. The family and their entourage arrived at the colorful little town of Treviso that evening after disembarking from The Siren. A few servants from the merchant prince's estate ventured down the stairs to assist with luggage, and the family was told they could either wait two hours for a carriage, or walk the five flights of stairs up the cliff side to the Llorano's guest villa.

Luckily, there was a nice breeze, and the sun was starting to set. A very portly Prince Frederico Llorano stood waiting to greet them as they arrived at the top of the stairway. His lovely wife Ramona stood beside him, wearing a bright red dress and a cheerful grin. She and Eleanor embraced, and Bryce handed his daughter off to Fergus as he shook hands with Frederico.

"I can't believe it has been two years since you last visited already! Come, let's go inside. You've arrived just in time – it's the Spring Festival, and we've arranged a dinner and celebration in your honor." The prince laughed jovially.

Ramona gestured towards Fergus and Leilani as they walked to a large yellow house with red shutters on the left side of the road. "And these are your children…how precious! Our Dante was too proud to ever carry his little sister around. Now they are both all grown up, Bernicia has married a vineyard owner and given us a little grandson, and Dante… he dotes on his nephew Juanito like he's the Maker's finest!"

The adults exchanged news and rumors until the Cousland's luggage arrived. The family refreshed themselves and donned the colorful garments their hosts had set out for them. Fergus and his father each wore white silk shirts with bright green buttons down the front and a matching wide green band around their waists. A black overcoat and matching pants with a green ribbon sewn into the hem of the outside pants legs completed their outfit. Lady Eleanor and her daughter wore bright green and white gowns with many rows of ruffles on the skirt and sleeves.

Lenora helped her charge dress, insisting she wear light linen pantaloons underneath her skirts. "I know that you won't be able to resist dancing and lifting up your skirts, and I won't have your mother mad at me for letting you run about with just a tiny strip of cloth over your nethers. She always complains about you not acting lady-like as it is, sweetie."

"Ohhh! But there's just so much to this thing! How many skirts do I need?" The girl pouted a little, counting seven layers to the ensemble.

"It's made to pouf out and look very pretty when you twirl around. Just don't get it messy. This will look great for the landsmeet next month in Denerim."

"Okay, 'Nora. But I wish you could come to the dinner with us!"

"Don't worry, the servants and I will be celebrating the Spring Festival in the courtyard behind the stables tonight. We'll have plenty of fun. Just behave yourself, mind your manners, and no magic, you hear me?"

"Yes ser!" Leilani replied, as she slipped into a pair of hard-soled, shiny black shoes. She glanced down and thought she looked a bit like the clowns she saw in the Antiva City market square the previous week. Even her socks had ruffles. Her only consolation was that the dress was so bulky, it was easy to hide her dagger.

Dinner passed without incident, other than Fergus making eyes at the various landowners' teenage daughters. Leilani thought it was all a bit contrived, considering how they giggled behind their fans and competed for his attention at the ball afterwards. She was getting very bored, and tired of her mother telling her to behave when she hadn't even done anything wrong. When she spotted Juanito beckoning her to join him and three other children sneaking out one of the ballroom doors, she eagerly followed. The children ran into the gardens, giggling and happy to be free in the night air.

"Oh, look! The moon is all bright and round!" Juanito yelled.

"Of course, it's a full moon. That's why this is the Spring Festival, silly." Leilani replied.

"Hey, my mother says the elves all dance around like a bunch of heathens and have a wild time!" A girl in a frilly purple dress yelled, wide-eyed with thoughts of mischief.

"Let's go find out! I know where they're all at tonight!" Leilani laughed and grabbed Jaunito's arm, urging him to follow. They passed a row of neatly manicured hedges and turned the corner.

"Ouch!" Jaunito had almost tripped over a couple lying half-hidden in the grass.

"Fergus? What're you doing out here?" Leilani queried. She looked from her brother to one of the landowner's daughters who was busy trying to hide herself. The front of her gown was gaping open and her face was flushed.

"I, uh, oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Run along, Pup."

"Oh, I'll run along all right. But you better watch yourself. I don't think mum is ready to be a grandmother quite yet."

The girl gave an outraged huff, gathered her skirts up and ran to the other side of the garden. Fergus groaned and then shrugged, turning back to his sister. "Now what'd you have to go and say a thing like that for?"

"Ah, don't worry. I'm sure another will be coming around to exchange kisses with the Ferelden foreigner sooner or later. But these girls aren't the type you can throw a couple coins at and be done with after a few minutes, brother. You could really get into trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Andraste's ass, am I really getting advice from my kid sister?" He sighed, then rearranged his garments and brushed his pants off. "But you're right. I need to behave, or I'll cause father a lot of grief. I'm going back inside now."

"Okay, I'm going to find Lenora and some other elves. See you later, Fergus!" Leilani yelled as her brother jogged off to return to the ballroom. The other children were waiting with puzzled looks on their faces, as none of them had understood the conversation.

Leilani resumed speaking in Antivan with the children. "I was just telling my brother where we'll be at, in case someone wonders where we went. But we're just going to take a look at the elves and be back, right? Juanito, where's the stables at?"

The children all followed Jaunito as he led the way to the stables. They could hear loud, raucous music as they approached the well-lit courtyard. Leilani and the children could see a few elves playing various drums and other instruments on an elevated platform while dozens of elves danced to the music below. There was a large bonfire a short distance away, and a few elves in strange leather garments also danced next to a colorful covered wagon of sorts.

"Okay, I've seen enough. I think we should go now." Jaunito yelled to the other human children, struggling to be heard over the music.

"Um, yeah, this is too wild for me." Another girl responded.

"Well, I'm not going. You can all run along back to that boring Ball. But I'm going to join this party and have some real fun!" Leilani brushed the dirt off of her shoes, re-tied one of the green ribbons in her hair and was looking forward to learning how these elves danced.

"What? You're crazy! We're leaving!" The children all ran back towards the main mansion and the ballroom, leaving the Cousland's daughter to her own mischief in the moonlight.

Leilani stepped into the rocky courtyard and spied a group of children dancing in a circle. She joined them in clapping as she watched them perform some simple dance steps. When the music sped up, they all joined hands and ran as fast as they could around in a circle. No one even seemed to notice she was the only human in the group. Leilani was giggling and almost breathless by the time the song ended, and was thrilled when a dark-skinned leather-clad elf boy with long black hair twirled her around and gave her a kiss on the cheek. When the children saw the elaborate display of her ruffled skirts, they encouraged her to dance to the next song, clapping their hands and whistling while the elf literally swept her off her feet a few times, lifting her high into the air. Even the adults stopped to cheer their performance.

"Leilani Cousland! What on earth are you doing here?" Lenora yelled at her grandniece at the next break. She had seen her dancing for the past ten minutes, but didn't have the heart to interrupt.

Leilani squealed with delight and ran to Lenora, giving her a big hug. "Lenora, this is the most fun day ever! I got to see dolphins and dance under the moon for real!"

"Yes, you certainly did! I'm glad we traveled to Antiva this year." Lenora felt positively giddy after drinking two glasses of wine, but she still had her wits about her. She kissed Leilani on the cheek and the two ventured off to find some water.

One of the servants approached Lenora at the refreshments table. "Eh…excuse me, but one of the Dalish elves would like to speak to you over by the bonfire. You do not speak Antivan, no?"

"No, but I do!" Leilani interrupted. "I will translate for her, if someone wants to talk." The girl turned towards Lenora and explained the situation to her. She nodded, and agreed to follow them.

"Er…right. He is right over there." The servant seemed to be acting suspiciously to Leilani, but she didn't' see anything to be alarmed about yet. The elf disappeared into the crowded dance floor again and the two Fereldens walked hand in hand towards the bonfire.

"Oh, Maker's breath! They have an aravel, here. This brings back so many memories, little one!" Lenora exclaimed as they neared their destination. A surly-looking teenage elf with an elaborate face tattoo and a red ribbon tied around his head crossed his arms and legs as he leaned against the side of the aravel. An older male elf with a different tattoo looked towards them as the boy Leilani was dancing with earlier ran to join them as well.

Suddenly, two more elves appeared out of the shadows behind them, startling Lenora. Leilani appeared to stumble, but instead used her fall as an excuse to get the short dagger she had hidden in a holster strapped to her thigh. As a male and a female elf all moved to restrain Lenora, the girl ran forward and jumped into the older man's chest, knocking him down with a surprised grunt. She positioned herself behind the man and paralyzed him, the boy and the teenager, all the while holding the short but wickedly sharp dagger to his throat.

"Stop it right there and leave her alone, or this one gets it!" She yelled, finally calling attention to herself.

The elves all yelled in surprise and outrage, but the two who had been trying to restrain Lenora finally gave up. "What have you done to our father?" The woman yelled.

"She's a witch-child! See, I knew this wouldn't work!" The man who had been assisting her complained.

Leilani shifted a bit, prickling the man's skin a little with the tip of her blade. "Enough! I ask the questions here. Just what were you people trying to do?"

The girl switched back to Common to let Lenora know what was going on. "Lenora, it looks like these elves were trying to kidnap me, and you too. Probably for a ransom or something. Just stay with me for a bit while I question them, then we should head back to the guest villa."

"Alright. Just be careful. These Antivan Dalish are more violent. They raid caravans and attack travelers and Maker only knows what else they do on the roads between the Arlathan forest and the Free Marches." Lenora was somewhat breathless, but confident that the Cousland child had control of the situation.

Leilani spoke in Antivan again and addressed the man in front of her. "I asked you a question, ser. Tell me, what is your name, and what were you hoping to accomplish by kidnapping me?" She relaxed her hold on him so he could respond.

"Please. I am Tolin. We had no idea you were a spirit-child. Forgive us. We had hoped to get some extra money from the nobles so we could get rid of the Tevinters who took our tribesmen last week, that is all. Please, have mercy."

"Mythal, shield us from harm…" The Dalish woman began muttering a prayer. Leilani ignored her.

"So, how far away are these Tevinters?"

"About half a day's journey to the west, at the edge of the desert. They have been camping there, sending raids out to capture any of our people traveling in the area. And then they send them off across the mountains to Marothius, to work in the mines."

Leilani relaxed a little, hearing a ring of truth to the man's story. "Alright, Tolin. I will let you go. But you must promise to meet me here tomorrow morning. I wish to travel with your people and learn further skill with the blade. We will get rid of these Tevinter slavers, one way or another. Understood?"

She released the man, who turned around and looked up at her with disbelief in his eyes.

"You ARE a spirit child! Our Keeper will definitely want to meet you. Will your family really let you visit us?"

"They will have no choice. I will go if I wish to go, and I will see to it that they do not follow. Lenora will of course come with me. She grew up amongst the Dalish in Ferelden, but her tribe is no more. I just hope your Keeper has another translator, because she does not understand Antivan like I do and I don't plan on being with her the entire time."

She released the teenager and her former dancing partner from paralysis, and the five Dalish elves all huddled next to their aravel. Leilani joined her great aunt on the other side of the bonfire and headed back towards the guest villa.

"Lenora, there is some trouble brewing. Tevinters have been capturing some of the Dalish and forcing them to work in the mines. That's why this group was going to kidnap me, hoping to buy supplies and arms with the ransom money so they could try and get rid of the slavers."

"Oh, dear. We shouldn't get involved…"

"No, I think we really should get involved. This kidnapping nobles' children scheme is bad for our trade business. I wish to know more about these Antivan Dalish tribes and perhaps learn more about my magic. Or at least pick up some additional fighting skills. And this is probably the only chance I'll get to face down any Tevinters for a long while."

"Why…why would you want to do that?" Lenora was starting to get concerned.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to do anything too dramatic. I'm just not fond of a culture that thrives on the buying and selling of people. The Imperium started the practice, after all. As terrible as things are in Antiva sometimes, it pales in comparison to the great Imperial cities." The girl sighed as they reached the front doors of the villa.

"You know, you are still very young. You cannot change the world overnight, child."

"I know. But perhaps I can change it in my lifetime. I can only hope."

"Well, it's going to be hard for us to convince your mother to let you go on a camping excursion in the middle of Antiva."

"Yes, but she'll listen to you. You know all her secrets. And she already suspects there is something strange going on with me."

"Fine, fine. I'll talk to her tonight. But you…you head up to bed now, girl. You're growing. You need your sleep."

The girl yawned and stretched before giving the elf a hug goodnight. Lenora unpacked some things and prepared for bed. An hour later, the rest of the family, Teresa and the knights all arrived.

"Have you seen Leilani?" Eleanor asked, holding her skirts high as she ascended the stairs to her sleeping quarters.

"Yes, she found me earlier and we danced outside for a bit before she went to bed. But come, we need to talk about something, my Lady."

The Teyrna frowned and shook her head in dismay as she spotted Teresa and ser Terran flirting openly in the hallway. Festival or not, some things were simply not proper. She would have to have a talk with the girl soon. Not that she really needed a Lady-in-waiting much anyways. Lenora seemed to be able to look after both her and her daughter quite well. Perhaps she would recommend Teresa to one of the Bann's wives or older daughters soon.

Eleanor followed Lenora to her small bedroom and closed the door behind her softly. "What is it, Lenora?"

"Lady Cousland, it's Leilani. She's exhibiting… signs. Signs that she has some magical powers." Eleanor gasped and covered both hands over her mouth in horror, but the elf continued. "Now, now, before you start to think the worse, you have to understand the girl. She can talk with certain animals, she's able to manipulate objects with her mind, and she knows things… things that even some adults can't comprehend. Leilani realizes she has to hide her abilities. But she needs help. She needs to start getting trained properly so she can control what's happening to her. Before we go back out to sea again."

"It's all my fault! One moment of sin… and the child I have is cursed!" Eleanor started sobbing, and kneeled down on the floor in shame.

The elf tried to comfort her, patting her back. "There, there. I have known you your entire life. There is nothing sinful or shameful in what you did. The Teyrn already knew that he couldn't have children, and you only went back to the same man that gave you Fergus. This is not your fault. But we have to think of your daughter now. She deserves the very best chance she can get at a normal life, right?"

"Yes, you're right. As always. What would I do without you? Just tell me what needs to be done." The Teyrna patted her eyes with a handkerchief, prepared to listen to her confidant.

"I have spoken to some of the servants here, and they know of a Dalish tribe that is a few miles to the west. You know Leilani can speak Antivan, right?"

"Yes, I found that out on the ship today. Why does no one tell me these things? She is rather remarkable, isn't she."

"Aye. And that is why I think I should take her to this Dalish tribe. Their Keeper has retained more of the ancient lore, probably more than any in Ferelden. They travel through the Arlathan forest, after all. It will take two, at most three days. You were planning to stay here five days before we sail back to Ferelden, right?

Eleanor started taking out the pins in her hair and rubbed her eyes. "Yes. This might work. Bryce, Fergus, the knights, and Frederico are leaving tomorrow. They're going to take a trip to the north on horseback, to visit all the vineyards and plantations between here and west of Ayesleigh. I'll just tell everyone we sent the two of you off to visit another noble's daughter for a couple days. Ramona and I will catch up on old times and trade tales. Did you know that her son Dante also had magical abilities before he was a teenager? They spent a lot of money having apostate mages visit and train him to control it. And now he's a scholar…." She sighed and looked up at the elf. "Lenora, if I have never thanked you properly for everything you've done for our family before today, please accept my thanks now. If there's anything you need, please just let me know."

"My Lady, I have no children of my own. It brings me great joy, to help you take care of your little girl. I will tell her the news when she awakens and she'll come and talk with you then. We will leave tomorrow, right after the Teyrn and his men depart."

**Author's note**: _Thanks to everyone who has read this adventure story so far. I have decided to post future updates to Livejournal, where I will also start posting Part Two (mature adult content). For now, I will keep what is here on FF, but will not respond to comments on this site. See my profile for more info. Mahalo nui loa!_


	45. Chapter Seven 3 in my cage

**Author's Note**: _Check my LiveJournal site (link on profile) for more eye-friendly viewing and/or to leave comments (anonymous or otherwise). All chapters/segments of this story have been converted to LJ entries and a few sections have been updated with new content._

Halfway through the night, the warehouse doors opened and cool, fresh air made its way towards the cages for a few moments. Zevran was mostly asleep and only heard snippets of a conversation.

"A fire in the north district –again? How many made it this time?" Master Tomas was yelling at someone.

"Just pack them in the cages with the others for now. We'll sort them out in the morning. Go fetch the Masters at first light…." The blonde elf dozed off again and didn't hear anything else until his cage was unlocked. Zevran was rudely awakened by the sound of metal on metal, then two soot-covered elven boys were pushed into his cage. In the dim candlelight, he could see that the taller one was clutching his side and squeezing his eyes as if in pain. But both boys didn't make any sound, except for the occasional wheezing and coughing. He was glad they were staying close to the door of the cage. He didn't want to have to fight anybody for his relatively comfortable spot near the wall.

_Zevran was running in a field of grass, racing the other boys toward an ocean that seemed to move farther and farther away. He was starting to get very discouraged and was about to tell everyone what a pointless exercise this was when suddenly, a bright blue light appeared by his side. A form appeared, hazy at first, but unmistakable. It was the little Ferelden girl!_

"_Hello. What're you doing?"_

"_Hello to you, too. I'm running, I guess. But I've stopped now."_

"_Oh. Well, you should give me a kiss again." She smiled at him, and his spirits lifted as he admired her strange-colored eyes and long, pretty hair. He kissed her on the lips and held her close for a few moments, all too happy to oblige._

"_There, is that what you wanted?" Zevran asked, wondering how she had gotten there._

"_Mmmm… hmmm… yes. But only if you wanted it too. Do you like to kiss me?"_

"_Yes, I should think so. And there's nobody else here to kiss." He replied._

"_Don't worry, Zevran. You'll be okay. But you have to wake up now. Kick it in the face."_

"_Huh?" He wrinkled his brow in confusion. She was starting to fade._

_Leilani smiled again, kissed his cheek, and smoothed a stray lock of his hair before fading to a blue glow again. The last thing he heard before she disappeared was, "Just use your boots."_

Zevran was laying with his face toward the wall and almost gagged as he woke up. The stench was absolutely vile! What smelled so awful? He could hear the sounds of someone noisily eating something, licking and gulping down their meal like a wild animal. He opened his eyes and as they adjusted to the dim light, he turned toward the cage door and received the scare of his young life.

One of the boys who had entered his cage last night was eating other one! Zevran could see that the boy's eyes were dull and lifeless, and his mouth was covered in blood and other ghastly fluids. He had been eating the other kid's innards and was now chewing on a length of intestine. The boy had a messy burn wound and a nasty yellowish liquid was oozing out through his shirt. Zevran's mind revolted against the thought of the undead creature so close to him. The thing moaned as if in pain and clutched the collar around its neck, still slurping down chunks of flesh. As the creature swiveled its head towards him, Zevran started screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Bloody hell! What's all the commotion about?" Someone yelled in the distance.

"There's a zombie in my cage!"

The creature sniffed into the air and started moving closer to where Zevran was huddled against the wall. It gurgled angrily and flung bits of crimson gore around as it clumsily shoved its former meal aside, intent on having a fresh new corpse to dine upon. As the blonde elf quickly crawled to the opposite side of the cage along the wall to escape its clutches, the other boys started yelling and screaming. Suddenly, the zombie lunged forward again, quicker than it seemed possible. Its hands reached for his chest, and Zevran could smell its fetid breath as its teeth closed on the air near his face. He rolled away just in time.

Zevran thought he was a goner for sure. He had no weapons and was trapped in with this thing…and oh, Andraste, please no... was the other boy's body starting to stir as well? It was! The elf's adrenaline went to work as his instincts took over. Zevran put his back towards the bars on one side of the cage and reached up to grip the bars overhead. He held on tight with his hands while he kicked with his boots at the first zombie's chest. It lunged at him again, but this time, he kicked it hard in the face. Its head cracked noisily against the bars on the other side of the cage. He kicked it in the face with both boots again and again, until it finally went limp and its head hung at an odd angle, a dark liquid oozing slowly from its mouth. As the first undead corpse slid to the bottom of the cage, the second one reared its head. It was trying to crawl towards him on its hands, as it had almost been severed completely in half from the first zombie's attack and subsequent feeding.

The living boy froze as a whistle sounded, and the corpse abruptly stopped moving. A shiny silverite dagger was now protruding out of the new zombie's skull. After hearing all the horrified screams, this silence was deafening. Zevran held his breath and looked up as a light approached. Master Tomas appeared, Hans closely following with an oil lamp by his side.

"Did it bite you? Are you alright, boy?" The bald man queried.

Zevran breathed a sigh of relief before answering the man. "No, ser, I didn't let it bite me. And I think I'm alright," he replied shakily.

"Maker's bollocks!" Hans exclaimed as he illuminated the gruesome scene.

"You are the luckiest little knife-eared whoreson I have ever seen!" Tomas added as a couple of his initiates began dragging the fully dead corpses out of Zevran's cage. Though it was rare now that the trainers had started accepting less recruits and keeping them in separate cages, the inevitable zombification still occurred every couple of fortnights to wounded victims. Until now, no recruit had ever survived an attack by one of his caged fellows who had turned into a revenant.

All of the children were released from their miniature prisons and ordered to prepare for the morning exercises. Zevran looked down at his blood-splattered footwear as the initiates cleared out the mess.

"You are definitely one lucky bastard in boots. Now get outta here and go clean up." Hans shooed him away.

* * *

"I thought for sure you was a goner, Zevran." Elrik announced breathlessly as he jogged beside the elf.

"Yeah, you and me both. I think Andraste herself must be watching over me or something."

Olaf interrupted with a snort "My Da used to say Andraste watches over us all before he died, too. Lot of good that did him. You're just lucky you woke up in time; before that thing started gnawing on you, you dirty little knife-ear." He moved closer to Zevran and stuck out his elbow, hoping to nudge him to the ground.

"Stop it, Olaf!" Elrik scolded. "It's against the rules to fight outside of pit-time."

"Oh, really? And what happens if I do?" Olaf retorted in a condescending tone.

"You get twenty lashes with the hickory switch, that's what." Elrik responded with a smirk.

Olaf scowled but was mollified by his answer. "Whatever. Just wait until next time, then." He jogged in place for a few steps, waiting for Donatello and Miguel to catch up to him. "That goes for you little knife-eared bastards, too. All of you are going to get what's coming for you today."

"Uh, nope. There's no fighting today. Just learning and exercising and watching the older ones train. Andraste's ass, you stupid shem! How long do you'd think we'd last if they had us kill each other every damned day?" Donatello retorted angrily. The human in question started running faster, his face red with frustration and embarrassment. He quickly moved away from his group, and the rest of the recruits ignored him during the remainder of their morning exercises.

Zevran, however, was overjoyed to hear this news. "Well, there would probably be many more zombies after a while." The blonde elf shrugged nonchalantly. "But that would make it far more terrifying if we were forced to fight THEM with blunt knives, don't you think?" He and the other boys laughed heartily, very glad to have a moment of levity at his expense.


	46. Chapter Seven 4 just different

Chapter 7-4: Just Different

"Psssssst! Fergus! C'mere! I have to tell you something." Leilani whispered loudly from the top of the stairs, trying to catch her brother's attention over the commotion in the foyer. Fergus looked around from where he stood in the hallway and spotted his sister sitting on the upper floor with her legs dangling out between the banisters.

"What's up, Pup?" He took the stairs two at a time and sat cross-legged next to her, curious to hear what she would say next.

"I didn't get to talk to you at breakfast. Just wanted to say be careful and look after Father. You know he doesn't like riding a horse, and the animals can sense that." She looked up at him and then looked down again as she resumed swinging her legs.

"Yeah? And what else? You know I don't like riding horses much either, but as long as one doesn't try to throw me or kick me in the face when I get on the saddle, it's all well and good. Are you really that worried about us?" He swatted playfully at her ponytail and laughed as she tried to smack his hand away.

"No, not really that worried. But guess what? I'm going on an adventure too. Mum knows, but I don't think she's told Father yet. Lenora is going to take me to see a Dalish tribe so I can learn more about controlling my… you know… abilities, as they say."

"Do you mean magic? Sweet Andraste, Lani! T'would be a shame for you to turn into a mage and end up locked in a tower. I mean, you fight so well!"

"Shhhhh! I know. That's why I'm going to find these Antivan elves and talk to their Keeper. I want to fight better and not grow up to be some mage. It would be so boring! Plus, I wouldn't get to see you, or Toby, or Lenora, or Mum and Father." She sighed and leaned forward to put her head against one of the railing bars, looking utterly dejected. " Why do chantry people want to lock me up just because I'm different?" she asked very quietly.

"Hey, don't worry, Pup." Fergus reached out and lifted his little sister onto his lap to give her a hug. "We're not going to let anybody lock you up. I'd miss all your fun pranks. And besides, what would Toby do without you? I'm sure he's giving Nan fits every day since we've been gone as it is."

Leilani smiled as she leaned her head against her brother's new Antivan leather armor. She could always trust him to be on her side after all. "Alright, I'll just have to learn as much as I can while I'm here so I can stay with you all then."

"That's the spirit. Now go get Mum and come downstairs to see Father and I off. Our knights and the servants are almost finished packing, I think."

It was still dark when Prince Llorano, his guards and the male Couslands finally left to visit the northeastern Antivan vineyards. Lenora was already packed and ready, outfitted in practical leathers with a red scarf tied around her hair. As Leilani donned her boots, leggings, and the new colorful hood Lenora had bought to keep the sun out of her eyes, her mother hovered nearby; wringing her hands with worry as she paced in the foyer.

"Mother! Please stop pacing, you'll wear holes in the rug."

Eleanor stopped and sat down on the bench next to her maid. She stared at her daughter, unsure of what to say. Leilani finished tying her boots and walked over to give her mother a hug before she could try and talk herself out of letting them go.

"I know you're frightened. But try not to worry so much, Mother. I'll be alright, I promise. We'll be back home in a couple days and tell you all about our adventures." The girl climbed up onto the bench so she could be eye-level with the Teyrna.

"Oh, Pup. You're so young. What are you thinking, what are you feeling, and what's happening to you? I can't believe you've tried to hide all of this. I know your Father and I are very busy sometimes, but we love you. You're not alone in this. Please, promise me you won't try to hide things from us, please?"

"I love you too, Mum. It's just… I'm different. And I've known for a long time that I'm not like other kids, or other people. I was afraid you'd get scared and have the Templars take me away."

"Never! Not my baby!" She hugged her daughter fiercely and kissed her forehead, tears blurring her vision for a moment. "Sweetheart, we won't let anyone take you away from us. And that's why I know I've got to let you go do this now. I trust Lenora and you will find what you need to know. So we can go back home soon and everything will be fine. This will be our family secret, alright?"

"Alright. Stop squeezing me so hard, Mum!" She kissed her mother's cheek and touched her face for a moment. "I promise, everything will be fine."

Leilani let her mother help put the smaller pack on her back, and she waved goodbye as she took Lenora's hand and headed across the yard towards the stables.

"So, your family isn't so ready to give you up to the chantry's dogs yet, eh little one?" Lenora teased her a bit as they headed towards the aravel in the distance. She handed the girl a longer dagger that she had pilfered from the Llorano's armory and sharpened the previous night.

"Yeah, humans sure are funny sometimes. I mean, they really do love me. Maybe it's just because I look like a normal little girl and I've been with them my whole life? I'm fond of them too, but it's still difficult to understand how to act with them. A part of me just wants to make them happy, but the other part of me feels like it's all a waste of time and I should just run away and do whatever I want. Trouble is, I don't really know what that is yet, 'Nora."

"Oh, don't even think of running off, you. It's normal to feel conflicted. I know your heart is good. No matter what powers you may have or where you really come from, we love you because of who you are." Lenora walked steadily, the bow at her back a welcome reminder of her early days travelling through the Brecilian Forest.

"Yes, but what or who am I really? I don't even know that myself."

"Well, **they** think you are just a normal human mage child who's coming into her powers early. Let's allow them to keep their comfortable illusions for now, shall we? Besides, nobody really knows who they are until after many years and many experiences. And circumstances out of our control can change the best of us. So don't worry about what others think. Just be yourself. I'll try to be here to guide you."

"What, and answer my questions without really answering them at all?" Leilani laughed and tugged at her great-aunt's hand a bit. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You sound like the wise old woman in those adventure stories I found in Brother Aldous's room. She always gives the most vague and ambiguous advice, and then nods her head like she knows it all when things happen to the heroes. "

The elf rolled her eyes at that remark. "Oh, and would you rather I tell you exactly what to do? Seems to me, you are pretty good at making your own decisions and the rest of us are just along for the ride, young lady. Hmmph"

"Bah! I was just teasing. I'm very glad you're not the bossy know-it-all type. And you're not old enough to be a wise old woman, anyway, right?"

The two were still laughing as they approached Tolin and the other three elves at their aravel. The man had his arms crossed, and he looked even more fierce as the early morning light shone on his scars. He and his youngest son bowed at the waist as they addressed her.

"Spirit-child. This is my son Javier, my oldest son Nolan, and his wife Maheira."

"Pleased to meet you all. I am Leilani, and this is my grandmother's sister, Lenora."

"Your grandmother's sister? Interesting. So you are of the people after all. I apologize again for our behavior yesterday. Thank you for accompanying us back to our tribe. The halla will leave with the aravel soon, but we must travel on foot to the northwest. It should take no more than two hours."

"We all do what we think we must, Tolin. You needn't speak of it again. We should start off, before the heat of the day sets in."

"You're going to let this witch-girl speak to you like that, Father?" Nolan retorted angrily.

"Be silent! She is obviously not one of the prankster spirits. We will take her to our tribe's encampment and then do as our Keeper says."

The younger man fell silent, but he still glared angrily at Leilani as she looked up at him. She gave him a blank stare for a few moments, then started walking towards the halla gathered at the other side of the aravel after he averted his gaze.

"Lenora, we're going to have to walk for a couple hours to the northwest. Tolin has apologized for their behavior last night, but his oldest son, Nolan is very afraid of me. Be watchful."

"Definitely. I won't be resting on my laurels, that's for sure."

"_**Greetings, Protector**_!" Six halla all looked toward Leilani and bowed their heads as she approached.

The girl felt a bit overwhelmed at first. The Mabari, the dolphins, and now these halla… why was it that all the intelligent animals called her The Protector? Still, she was entranced by these majestic creatures with their white fur and elegant antlers. They were nothing like the deer she and Lenora had hunted near their castle.

"_**Greetings to you. Blessings upon you and your herd. Be well and prosper**_." Leilani wasn't quite sure what else to say, but that's how she had replied to the dolphins, and they seemed to be satisfied. She reached out to touch the closest one's leg, and she laughed as he nuzzled her forehead with the tip of his cold nose.

Maheira gasped in astonishment and covered her heart with her right hand as she witnessed the exchange. Her husband couldn't mind-speak with the halla, but he, too could sense something extraordinary was happening. "Nolan, this girl is more than just a witch-child." He snorted at his wife's remark and turned back to the aravel to finish securing their supplies, tying down the window and door coverings.

Leilani felt something like a feather brush against the edge of her awareness, a firm but gentle curiosity trying to test and see who or what she was. She had often felt something like this when she was near mages in the Fade – they knew _something_ was there, but had no idea what it was, so they sometimes tried to spread their awareness out to touch her. They always gave up after a few moments, unable to penetrate her Cloak and shields before she ventured off to another area. This felt very similar, except slightly more focused. Leilani almost felt like batting it away, and laughingly thought about the image of her slapping a slow, plump bumblebee. The girl giggled aloud and looked toward the halla, who focused on the presence and seemed to acknowledge it as some sort of leader. After the halla floated away with the aravel, Tolin and his youngest son approached Leilani hesitantly. "You dance well, the halla like you, and you didn't hurt our Father, so you seem like a good person to me." The boy spoke to her slowly in Antivan, as if he wasn't quite comfortable with the language.

"Thank you. You are a very good dancer. Last night was fun, at the festival. But Javier…. Why does it seem as if you're not Antivan?"

Tolin answered her question tersely. "His mother was stolen from us by the Tevinters right before she gave birth to him. We rescued her a few months later, but we weren't able to free our son from their village chantry on the border near the Minanter for another six years. He has been with us three years now. Unfortunately, he still feels more at ease speaking the Imperium's language than Antivan."

"His mother… was she also taken captive this time?" Leilani asked bluntly. They started walking on a narrow trail between rows of grape vines.

The scarred elf squeezed his eyes shut. Her words were like salt on an open wound. "Yes. They ambushed our tribe while I and several other hunters were out chasing game. A few of our best fighters had been at the camp, but they stunned them with some sort of poison and magic and put them in cages, inside a wagon. We heard the distress horn, but by the time the rest of us hunters returned to fight them off, they had taken my wife, a few children and several others off, along with much of our supplies. We know they're taking them to the mines because Javier escaped and returned to us the next day."

"We have to get my mother and the others back. She is a healer, and the Summer's raids will not go well if we are without her skills." Javier interjected.

"Raids? Never mind, I think I understand." Leilani explained the situation to Lenora as the group passed a stream and the wall that marked the end of the Llorano's property. They walked in silence for a long while, making their way over the rock-strewn path amidst a field of vibrant green scrub brush and wildflowers of every color imaginable. The group walked steadily up a gentle slope, and as they approached the top of a hill with an outcrop of dryer grasses on its crest, Maheira and Nolan slowed down and reached for their sword, axe and daggers.

Lenora stopped and grabbed her bow and notched an arrow to ready herself for the impending fracas. Tolin looked towards her with admiration and then copied her movements with his own bow. Leilani and Javier both crouched down amongst the grass in between them as the two elves in the front signaled for everyone to stop.

The men in the valley below looked like they were preparing to leave; most of them had their bedding all rolled up, and a few were tying up packs. Two of them were arguing over a map, while another bent down, inhaling what appeared to be lyrium dust from the top of a crate. One man was busy thrusting on top of a pale-skinned elven woman with short brown hair next to a wagon. Her skirts were bunched up, and she seemed to be moaning in pain, but from the distance it was hard to determine if he was raping her, or if she was simply a disinterested partner.

Tolin assessed the situation and sighed deeply. "We cannot go around; it would take half a day to travel the other route through this ravine. How many?"

"There's fourteen of them. All bandit scum, probably running away from the city guard or the Crows." Maheira spoke softly.

"Any mages?" Tolin asked.

"No, they all look like dirty cutthroats. Just knives and swords, only one has a bow." Nolan replied.

"Good. We will draw them out, then."

Leilani translated for her great-aunt and Tolin signaled to her when he was ready to move forward and start shooting at the bandits below. Lenora shot the one who was leaning against a willow tree right through the throat. A few bandits crossed the small stream as a mangy dog started to bark, alerting the men to their presence. Before he could try and recover, Tolin brought the human archer down with an arrow through the heart, pinning him against the tree. The two older elves kept shooting as the surprised bandits rushed up the hill towards them.

Though disorganized and untrained, the highwaymen were still quite a handful for the group of elves. Another man was downed by arrows, but his companion rushed towards Tolin before he could notch another arrow. Leilani watched Maheira stab him in the back three times, then raised her eyebrows as the elf flipped backwards to avoid getting stabbed by another bandit in a ragged blue watch officer's uniform. At the same time, Nolan was having trouble with two humans who took turns trying to slash him while he blocked.

Leilani focused and sped up her movements. She grabbed one of the dead brigand's daggers and flung it at the head of the man closest to her. It lodged into his skull as if it was a melon, and Nolan only had one bandit left to fight at the moment. Then she spotted one man in black leathers reaching for a greenish colored flask.

"Scatter!" She yelled to the elves. "Move, Lenora!"

Their party scrambled and backtracked down the hill as the man threw his flask into the air. It landed with a loud crack, but its contents hurt nothing except for a patch of tall grass that started to smoke as the acid quickly went to work.

Unfortunately, they were now separated. Six men were grouped near the two children, while the other four outlaws engaged the adults.

"Run, Javier!" Tolin yelled, trying to fight one of the men off with an iron cudgel.

"No, get behind me. Just do what I tell you to, okay?" Leilani looked at the boy, then turned towards the two men in the center of the group right after Javier nodded. She crouched low, then ran straight into them, rolling on the ground at the last minute so she tripped one of the men. As he landed face-first into the dirt, the girl quickly turned around and slashed the man next to him in the back of his legs.

"Achhh! Get that little bitch!" he screamed. The inept men all tried to dive down and reach for her at once, so Leilani alternated between slashing them in the neck or head, or stabbing them in the back. Blood spray covered her shirt and leather leggings. They were far too slow to follow her movements, and she threw a handful of dirt up to blind one who got a little too close and nicked her wrist with the tip of his sword. She slashed his knee, and when he went down with a thud, she jumped up, flipped over his head and stabbed him in the back, bearing down with all of her weight and momentum to sever the man's spine.

A few seconds later, only one human was left standing out of the six, and he advanced towards a cowering Javier who walked backward along the crest of the hill. The boy held his dagger out, but he was shaking in terror.

"Rush him!" Leilani yelled, startling both the man and boy. When the man looked back with surprise to see what happened to his fellows, the girl threw a fist-sized rock at his head. He fell down to the ground with a sickening crunch, twisting his arm in front of him as he landed. Leilani ran over to slice his neck and Javier wasted no time stabbing him twice in the back to make sure he was dead.

"That's a good idea, Javier. Let's make sure none of them try to crawl away." Leilani encouraged him. The adult elves had finally bested their opponents and rushed over to help, then stopped as they eyed the bloody human girl and the bodies strewn about along the hillside. As they started assisting Javier with the kill confirmations and looting, the Cousland child glanced at her wrist. The shallow cut had turned to an angry red color and was throbbing painfully. She concentrated, and a thick greenish substance started to ooze slowly out of her wound. The man had tried to poison her with venom! Leilani shook her head and wiped the poison away with her other shirt sleeve. The wound had already started to close and was now only stinging slightly.

Lenora bent down and gently grabbed her arm with a questioning look in her eyes. "Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing! Look, it's already healed," she insisted. The elf gently rubbed away the dried blood with a handkerchief and was surprised to see there was no scar or even a slight ridge – no marks at all to signify that she had been cut. The girl's regenerative abilities were uncanny.

"Alright, child. You fought well." Lenora stood back up and pulled Leilani's sleeve down.

"Papa! It was amazing! She got all of them!" the boy exclaimed.

"Yes, I know. We watched the last few seconds. The spirit-child is a fierce fighter. And it appears she didn't even use any magics." Tolin replied, turning towards the girl.

Leilani knelt down and wiped her blades on a dead man's shirt, disgusted by the bits of gore that clung to it. "No, I don't like to use active magic while I'm fighting a real battle unless the other people are using it as well. But I did change my weight so I could apply more force."

"You mean like a shape-shifter?" Nolan asked, curiosity getting the better of him at last. He was glad the witch-child seemed to be on their side for now.

"Well, yes and no. I can apply force as if I weighed ten times what I actually do. So my weight changes, but not my mass or my form. I… I'm just not ready to turn into an animal," she replied.

Both Tolin and Nolan whistled at hearing this. "Creator's vengeance! About 200 kilos of force? No wonder those bandits didn't stand a chance!"

The girl laughed and continued trying to explain her use of skills to the elves. "Oh, and I use a momentum skill I picked up from one of my rogue knights a few months ago."

"Yes, but that is not really magic. All sentient beings have inherent skills they can use, like stealth, momentum, rally cries… there are many different abilities that we have. Even Nolan uses momentum from time to time. But it is very tiresome. I would imagine you do not have any problems keeping your stamina levels up though, spirit-child."

Leilani nodded in reply and then frowned as she looked down at her blood-soaked shirt. "Ugh…this is awful, Lenora. Did we pack another shirt?"

"Of course, dear. Let's go down to that stream so you can wash up a bit first, though."

Javier was the first one to cross the stream. He held out a piece of jerky and the bedraggled looking dog approached him, happy to find a meal and a friend. The woman who had been violated finally stood up and smoothed down her skirts as the rest of the elves approached. "I can't believe it. You really killed them all! What that fuck am I supposed to do now?"

Maheira and Nolan stopped and looked at each other, shaking their heads in anger and dismay. "What are you talking about, flat ears?" Maheira responded rudely with her hands on her hips.

"I'm talking about you high and mighty Dalish, killing my milk cow! They broke out of the Seleny prison and their leader bought me fair and square at the market last week. Now where am I supposed to go? I don't even know where I am!"

Leilani interrupted before the woman could say anything else to insult her benefactors. "Treviso isn't far from here. Just follow this path. It'll take you through Prince Llorano's property to the town. I'm sure you can find work there."

"Yes, you will probably be able to find honest work there. Instead of being someone else's slave for once." Tolin added.

"Is there a whore house there?" The woman queried, bending down to gather a few provisions.

"I'm sure there's one near the docks. But you'll have to climb down the cliff side to get to that part of town. How do you even stand it? Opening your legs for all those… those filthy shemlen!" Maheira asked, angry at the girl's callous reaction to her chance at freedom.

"Look here, I didn't ask you to come to my rescue. My ma sold me when I was twelve, and I been taking care of myself just fine. Even whoring's an honest living under the Maker's gaze. Not like you heathens, running about the countryside, robbing and murdering passersby and such."

"And haven't those outlaws been doing just that? You're not just a whore, you're a stupid whore... kissing the feet of the ones who kick you… you are a disgrace to Elvhen." Maheira reached for her dagger.

Nolan wisely chose to interrupt the conversation before things got bloody again. "Okay, that's enough, flat-ears. Just be on your way and say nothing more." He eyed the woman with disgust, then firmly but gently grabbed his wife's shoulder and led her up the stream a bit, trying to calm her down. Nolan gave her a healing potion and wrapped the cut on her upper arm as she grumbled with barely-contained rage.

The young woman decided not to press her luck and kept her mouth shut as she finished gathering her things. She ran up the hill in a huff and shooed the buzzards out of her way, turning back at the last second to give them a lewd gesture.

Leilani laughed as she relayed the conversation to Lenora. Her aunt rolled her eyes and sighed, then chuckled a bit. "Well, one person's torment is another one's paradise. But I'm still glad we got rid of those bandits. Less problems for other folks travelling on these paths now." The elf knelt down to fill a bucket with some water and ordered Leilani to take off her shirt. She helped the girl clean up and then started washing the soiled shirt as she put on her fresh clean blouse.

"Nora, I really don't like getting bloody. It's all sticky and smells awful."

"Yes, I know. Of course, armor is easier to clean off than clothes. Just be glad it's all their blood and not yours. That's what happens when you get into a real battle. Unless you only fight from a distance..."

"Hmmmph. No thanks."

"We could find a smaller bow for you to start archery training on, you know."

"Well… maybe. I guess that sounds okay. Better than using magic for distance fighting." She replied. Leilani finished fastening her buttons and started putting her gear back into her pack as the other elves explored the dead bandit's camp, foraging for supplies.

"Well, we got some better weapons out of this at least," Tolin announced. "Let's get going, we'll be at our camp in an hour or so."

The little yellow mutt followed Javier as the group headed towards a line of trees in the distance.


	47. Chapter Seven 5 dark city songs

"Andaran atish'an, elgar da'len. Greetings to you, spirit-child." The older woman had long silver-grey hair and wore a mixture of wolf pelts and gaudy gold and green robes, but she had a steely look in her eyes and did not lean on her staff for support. In fact, she did not have many wrinkles or anything to mark her age other than the color of her hair. The Keeper looked towards Lenora and smiled. "And to you as well, sister. Dareth falon."

"Aneth ara. Ma serannas." She bowed her head respectfully. Even after so many years, the proper greeting came to her naturally.

"Oh, so you are not just another city dweller who has learned a bit of archery and thinks to live among us after all. Welcome and be safe."

"Yes, I am Lenora, and I was Dalish… until our tribe was murdered by rampaging chevaliers a few decades ago. "

"Then you must be from the Adahlelvhenan clan. And you _**do**_ remember our ways after all! Salaine would have been pleased."

Lenora was shocked. "You… you know of my aunt, and our lost tribe?" Lenora was almost overwhelmed with emotion.

"Aye, of course. We who watch over the wandering clans do not forget when one is lost to us, especially not one whose Keeper has the gift of foresight. When neither Salaine nor any messenger from the Adahlelvehnans met with us at our Gathering thirty-six summers ago, we knew the worst had happened." She paused to direct Tolin and his sons to where the crafter had set up his shop. "I am Nasareth, Keeper of the Assanelvhen. Now come, let us go to my campfire and discuss this further. My clansmen get nervous when I speak languages they do not understand."

The woman nodded to Tolin and his family, who ventured off towards a cluster of aravels. She led Lenora and the human child past a herd of grazing halla and up a small hill towards a campfire amidst a group of banyans.

"So, how many languages do you speak, Keeper?" Leilani could not contain her curiosity.

"About seven or eight. I am familiar with the languages of Ferelden, Orlais, Anderfels, Antiva, a few of the Free March dialects, and Nevarra. And some Elvish, of course. We Keepers retain as much of the ancient lore as we can. Perhaps one day we will find out more about our own language." She gestured towards a small wooden bench for her visitors to sit on, while she sat upon a cushion on top of a tree stump across from them.

"When I grow up, I want to be able to talk to everybody and learn a bunch of languages too. So you've travelled to all of those places?"

"Yes. I was not always the Keeper of the Arrow People. But this is my home now." The old woman stared at the two Fereldens, wondering how this remarkable spirit-child came to be.

"So how old are you?" The girl took off her hood and started fidgeting. She wanted to know more about these people who lived in the hills and forests of Antiva, but there probably wasn't enough time to get all of her questions answered.

"I have seen one hundred and forty-two summers, little one." She replied patiently.

"Wow! Lenora, I think she counts as one of those wise old women."

The Keeper laughed aloud and Lenora shook her head in dismay at the child's remark. "Mind your manners, young lady!" She chided, gently tapping the girl on the shoulder. "And I think you've asked enough questions for now."

"No, no, I'm sure the young one has many more questions. And I will do my best to ensure answers are given. But I must say, this is extraordinary. It really IS a child, and yet so much more. And the power! It is amazing that it has not gone mad and started killing it's fellows like the Wild Tricksters do."

"Wild…Tricksters?"

"Yes, yes, there are wild, barbaric humans that roam amongst the desolate forests and other places. I am sure you have them in Ferelden, too. What were they called…Chasers? No, Chasind. We have similar Wilders here, primitive human tribes that hide in the jungles and the mountains and perform dark rituals to commune with the spirits. Occasionally, one of their Shamans will call forth a strong spirit from the Fade, and it will possess a young child or an unborn babe; one of the tribe's own that has been sacrificed to procure wisdom and favor from the spirits."

"That's horrifying! They would do this to a child?" Lenora interrupted.

"Let me finish. Usually, the tribe is granted a boon such as the strength of their warriors being increased, or a cure to a pestilence, or even perhaps assistance with finding a new home. But the child and its mother are sent away as pariah. It is said this is where the Witches of the wild come from – the women whose children are chosen for the sacrifice almost always have some sort of magical ability at odds with the Shaman's power. Once cast out, they are feared by all; even the other Wilders. Some of them formed Witch-Tribes of their own and have magic powers that rival the best of any Circle Tower mages. We occasionally cross paths with the Wilders and Witches, and they are almost as wary of the townsfolk as we are. And this is why our clan has no dealings with humans, other than to dispose of them and loot what goods we can if they venture near our camp or hunting grounds. If the shemlen do not even trust each other, we should certainly not trust any of them."

"What happens to the possessed children?" Leilani asked, intrigued by this story.

"The spirit-children seldom survive. Their minds deteriorate and they become violent and aggressive, often playing malicious and deadly tricks on others. We call these ones the Wild Tricksters, or Prankster Spirits. But it is very difficult for one to survive, even amongst the Witches. If it grows strong enough to kill its mother and retains enough of its sanity so that it is able to blend in with society, it can become increasingly powerful and extremely difficult to kill. Legend has it that a Spirit of Pride has existed for centuries, travelling from city to city and killing hundreds. Anyway, I tell you this so you may understand why so many in our clan may be frightened of you, child. It is for a good reason."

"But I didn't come from any dark ritual, and my mother's not a witch!" The girl protested. She reached for Lenora's hand. This Keeper was not being kind at all.

"And yet you have strength and magic power that is far beyond the normal capabilities of a human, let alone a mere child." Nasareth was quick to before turning to face Lenora again. "And now it is too powerful to control or dispose of easily. The best we can do is attempt to trap its mind in the Fade. Why did you not terminate this thing as soon as you discovered it, sister? Did you not realize what it was?"

Lenora hugged Leilani closer to her and glared at the Keeper reproachfully. "SHE is my sister's granddaughter, and I assure you she did NOT come from any dark ritual at all."

"Your… sister? Oh, so it is of the people? Perhaps this is why its mind remains intact. Tell me, how did it come to be?"

The Cousland child was crestfallen. She looked up to her great-aunt with a bewildered expression that prompted the elf to display an uncharacteristic show of anger. "I will tell you nothing of the sort, until you stop referring to her in such a way. You have no idea how sweet and kind, and loving our Lani is. She protects me and her family, and she is certainly no horrible prankster spirit! We will not sit here and be subjected to such talk, be you Keeper or not!" She clenched her fist and yelled the last sentence, and a few Dalish that were busy with chores at the bottom of the hill looked up, alarmed.

Nasareth shook her head and gestured at the elves, reassuring them that nothing was amiss. "Ease your minds. Please, I apologize. It is clear you care a great deal for this child. Perhaps that is also why she is so very different."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Those who have known only cruelty are often the most adept at inflicting it, are they not? This girl has benefited much from your kindness and guidance. And the rest of her family as well, no doubt. Again, I apologize. But this is a most curious phenomena. I may have to… yes, I must. We will perform a Seeking."

"A… Seeking?" Leilani asked

"Yes, girl, if you agree to it. It is a ritual that will take you to the Fade and reveal the paths of your ancestry to us."

"But I go to the Fade all the time! There's nothing like that there."

"Oh? You are able to travel to the Fade at will? That is… this is most puzzling. Who taught you to do this?"

"No one taught me, it just happens."

"And you remember what happens to you while you travel in the realm of the spirits?"

"Yes, I think so. I remember what happened yesterday before that Grand Cleric blew up in Antiva City."

"Leilani! Did you have something to do with that?" Lenora was shocked.

"That cleric was a bad spirit-thing. It was ugly, and terrible, and doing bad things to the people-spirits there."

"So you were there? What happened?" The Keeper was unable to contain her curiosity. She had not seen this much excitement since the last time she had to battle one of the Tevinter Mages who dared to cross her paths.

"A dragon-spirit got rid of it. That's all I know."

Lenora sighed and sat back on the bench again. This child was becoming more than a handful. How was she going to be able to protect her if she got into mischief while in the Fade? "You should stay away from such things."

Nasareth was even more perplexed. "A dragon-spirit? There are no such beings in the Fade. Surely you have this confused with normal dreams, young one. Be that as it may, the fact that you are able to venture to the Fade is all the more reason to do a Seeking. If there are spirits there who can answer any other questions about you, I will attempt to communicate with them as well. The ritual can be somewhat dangerous, to both the Seeker and the Keeper acting as guide. But there will be very specific safeguards in place for this."

"What do you mean, dangerous?" The Ferelden elf was determined to make sure no harm would come to the child.

"All living sentient beings have an inherent spirit-shield, an aura that usually protects and guards us from being possessed or damaged by spirits of the Fade. Mages are able to control their own aura and see beyond the Veil and maintain consciousness while in the Fade. In order for a Seeking to work, I, the Keeper must go into the Fade and bring the Seeker with me, opening up her aura and removing any natural protections so that when we query the Shrouded Path, an answer from the Spirits may return unhindered. I will extend my own aura around us both while this occurs so that there is still a barrier in place against any maleficent spirits."

"That does not sound so very dangerous. What could go wrong, Keeper?"

"Normally, the only danger would be if I run out of mana before the Seeking is answered. But this is a very specific query. We are only looking to find her origins. It should be able to quickly tell us how a spirit came to be inside of a child's body. And I will also be able to see the answer written in this ancient relic when she comes out of the trance." She reached into a compartment on the side of her aravel and pulled out a thin, highly polished, rectangular-shaped slab of Veridium that had strange symbols etched around its parameter.

"A trance? What's that? Is that like when I go to sleep?"

"No, child. You will drink a bitter tea and I will wait until you lose consciousness. But do not worry. You will be in spirit-form and able to retain your senses enough to travel to a particular portion of the Fade with me. Your grandmother's sister may observe while we undergo the ritual, although she will not be able to see what happens in the Fade."

"Oh. Well, okay then. Why is the tea bitter?" Of all things, Leilani hadn't liked the sound of that the most.

The Keeper chuckled, and looked toward Lenora again. "Does she always ask such questions?"

The Ferelden elf laughed and shrugged. "Yes, just like any child would."

Both elves began to notice a blue glow emanating from underneath the girl's blouse. "What is…"

Lenora pulled the amulet from underneath Leilani's shirt and the Keeper marveled aloud. "Dirthamen, guide us! It's one of the Invokers! These amulets… they were entrusted to our most powerful leaders in Arlathan. I remember Salaine had one, but I thought it would have been plundered by the Chantry. Have you had it all along, Lenora?"

"My younger sister, Sefora, retrieved it from Salaine's body after the massacre. She gave it to me before she got married and I kept it for fifteen years, until Leilani was born. It was glowing just like this when she came into the world. And she has had it with her ever since."

The Keeper reached for the amulet, but Leilani gripped the cord holding it around her neck tightly. "It's mine! You can't have it!"

Nasareth was taken aback. "I only wish to see it more closely, child. These Invokers were created thousands of years ago to channel our deities during festivals. And they were also made to protect very powerful magi who could not fully control their magics. Lenora, do you remember? Salaine always wore this. Her foresight was both a gift and a curse. If her clan had not found this amulet for her when she was a child, she would have gone mad without a doubt."

"So… it restricts magic?" Lenora asked hesitantly.

"Yes and no." The Dalish elf reached down and retrieved a kettle next to the bench, filled it with water and set it over the campfire stones. "When we mages become very emotional, it is much more difficult to control magical energy without the proper training. Any young mage can run into difficulties if he or she doesn't have a mentor to help them learn control. These amulets were created to assist with the process. As far as I know, from what I remember the previous Keeper told me many decades ago… it only channels excess energies and redistributes them to the bearer's own aura. So the magic is not really restricted, or lost. It is just the undesirable aspects of having too much magical energy that is suppressed, allowing a caster to store the energy for use at a later time, perhaps. Do you understand?"

Lenora sighed and shrugged again. "I… suppose. All this talk of magic is confusing."

"The amulet is probably glowing in response to the Seeking relic being nearby. Leilani, you will need to remove it in order for us to complete the ritual."

"Will I get it back?" She asked, still clutching it tightly.

"Yes, of course, child. The Fates have left this gift to you. Far be it from me to meddle with that."

"Alright, then. I'm sorry for yelling at you." The girl reluctantly pulled the amulet off and handed it to the Keeper, who held it in her hand for a moment. Leilani suddenly had a sense of foreboding, and her ears started ringing for a moment, but the sensation soon passed.

The amulet started glowing more brightly when she moved closer to the relic, so Nasareth laid it against a closed chest on the far side of her aravel and gathered some herbs from inside to prepare for the tea. She shook her head, wondering about this Spirit-Child who seemed to genuinely behave like a child for the most part, yet there was clearly more to her. And what sort of Spirit-Child ever apologized for anything? These were strange times, indeed. The elf looked up as Lenora addressed her again.

"I promised her mother that we would find some answers, Nasareth. So I will trust you, Keeper. Please, see to it that no harm comes to her. Or I will guarantee that your tribe will feel the wrath of both me and the shemlen foreigners who will surely follow, looking for answers and vengeance." Lenora crossed her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes at the well-respected elf.

"It's okay, 'Nora. I'll be okay. I'm ready now, Keeper." Leilani smiled and reached for her cup of tea.

* * *

Her eyes grow heavy at first, and then she feels the familiar sensation of floating, of flying up high, high, away and above the treetops. The landscape changes from the bright blue sky and solid green hillside to that of sheer darkness. Leilani hears song; joyous, beautiful singing coming from everywhere and nowhere. It is all around her, but far away.

All is dark. The only light present emanates from her own body. Obsidian walls, ebony sky, dark and shiny and twisted and cold. It feels wrong, and yet, she is still calm. The whispers start, each word spoken by a new voice:

_It is of no consequence. Lives of mortals come and go, oh so fleetingly, like the ripple of a single wave in a galaxy of dying stars. Thousands, millions, trillions of souls have been and will be… _The whispers change, became louder, are joined by more voices, until they all sing. A wild, seething, cacophony of voices that whisper-sing a chorus to her, dark and sinister and beautiful and hopeful:

_All is lost, all will be found, fall to sleep, rise from the ground. _

_The dragon-god bleeds, devours, and flies._ _Imprisoned with truth, and set free with lies. _

_Live without life, die without death, strive without strife, breathe without breath. _

_Be made anew, the whole not the one, many from few, the moon to her sun. _

_One of many, more than any. Extinguish flame, bequeath a name. _

_Shatter, scatter, blend and mend. New beginnings, from the end._

The whispers become quiet and are no more than the rustle of leaves moved by the wind. The girl's own light reflects back at her, a soft, whitish-blue glow. Is this how she looks to the other Fade-spirits, a creature of harsh and beautiful light? The black walls seem to devour her light, and she watches, entranced, as a single mirror appears in front of her. A beautiful Elven man with honey-colored skin and long, platinum-blonde hair gazes at her from the mirror and smiles.

"Ah, you are finally here, my love. A few decades more, and all will be revealed. Be strong, my beloved. Be strong." She has never seen this man before, but he is familiar to her somehow. Part of her longs to comfort him from his isolation. Leilani smiles and moves her hand toward the mirror.

It disappears, but she will remember his face forever. The silence is deafening. And then, just as quickly as the chaotic whispers stop, one singular melodious voice calls to her.

_Through the stones..._ Something whispers, something sings to her and only her, a faint yet insistent brush against her young mind. She is alone. No one else is there in this place, this Black City in the center of the Fade. No familiar golden souls of dead or slumbering people, elves, benign spirits, or demons. It is empty, just as she is. And just as full. For the first time in her life, she is uncertain.

_Do you see? Come, hear me, feel me, sing… make it new, only we can, only we must… one of us…. one of us…one of us… _It calls to her. Leilani reaches out to touch the shiny, dark surface. The wall changes from black to white where her touch is felt, and she watches, fascinated as it spreads slowly, like a single drop of blood on parchment.

_**NO!**_ Screams of rage, cries of despair, songs of joy. The wall is a living thing, reacting violently to her intrusion. What has she done? The white portion of the wall explodes outward, rejected. Something hurls it and her up high and away from the blackness.

Leilani is floating again, finally in the familiar grayish-gold, twisting patterns of the Fade. And the bright, shining white wall-piece floats next to her. Both of them land on a single, shifting island, far away from any others, and far away from The Black City. The girl is content. She smiles. The broken, jagged piece of stone become smooth, starts to mend and form the beginnings of a new wall. It is a garden, a new seed that has been planted.

_It is small._

"Yes, but it will grow. Just like me."

_Like me. You are like me. How long, how long…. Beneath the stones, you will find me… you must find me, find me… beneath the stones… one of us._

She floats away again, away from her wall-garden to a different portion of the Fade. It is a long, twisting ribbon of dark Fade-stone and lyrium, branching out in many places and running out toward the distance as far as the eye can see. It is an old place where souls seldom venture, this Shrouded Path.

"Leilani Cousland!" Nasareth suddenly appears before her and speaks her name sharply.

"Yes? I am here." She replies.

The Keeper gasps and stares. The strange spirit-child looks like no other being she has ever encountered, in or out of the Fade. "What are you?"

Voices respond, heavier voices than the ones from the Black City. They laugh, they cry, they whisper. "_It asks, the mortal asks a question. Is this your question?"_

"No! I am not the Seeker." The Dalish mage grips the bright golden-staff weapon firmly in her Fade-body, but Leilani sees that she is afraid. The Keeper is afraid, the child is not.

Leilani looks to the elf and smiles, trying to put her at ease. She remembers the proper words, but from where? Why is this familiar to her? Answers must be sought, so she speaks the words. "I am the Seeker. Answers you will give me, true and complete. This is my question: How did I come to be?"

* * *

_**Author's note**: My apologies for the long delay and for butchering any elven phrases. Work on this DA:O AU fic will pick back up now and I anticipate updates about once very 1-2 weeks. Only four more chapters left of this Part One, before we start the actual in-game arc :) -Lei_


	48. Chapter Seven 6 spoiled whoreson

The creak of the floorboards near the bed was enough to waken him, but the dark-haired assassin kept his breathing even and pretended to still be asleep as his hand gripped the dagger underneath his pillow. Someone stepped onto the mattress and breathed against the back of his neck, giggling softly. The assassin released the dagger, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and smoothed his beard down. There was no doubt in his mind that it was her.

"What is it now, Ireynia? You know I value my sleep." He opened his eyes, cuffed his bed partner playfully against her jaw and laughed as she responded with a sharp tug on the hair at the nape of his neck. She jumped onto his back and he shivered as she gripped his neck, nails digging lightly into his skin as her deft little tongue licked the sensitive spot in between his shoulder blades. Ah, but she was trained so well. He bucked against her and flipped her over, pinning her lithe frame underneath his body as she smiled up at him, licking her lips like a wicked little cat.

"How the hell did you get in here this time, you little bitch?" He grabbed a handful of her thick blue-black hair and licked the tip of one of her pointed ears. His Ireynia had such dark hair and lovely pale skin. No wonder she chose to work at night most of the time.

"You forgot to lock your window again, Fernando. Tsk, tsk. You stupid, sloppy shem. And how did you know it was me?" She lifted her neck up and he kissed her jaw line and nibbled on her earlobe, chuckling as she moaned contentedly.

"You always smell like lilacs. And who else could get into my window so quietly, five stories up?" He still had her lower body pinned down with his, and he had both of her arms held together above her head with his left hand. The Crow marveled at her tiny frame as she writhed beneath him, trying in vain to wiggle away and get the upper hand again, as always.

"If I could do it, so can others. Come now, Fernando. You mustn't forget such things or I will have to teach you a lesson." She giggled mischievously and he tugged down her orange and gold silk blouse to expose a rosy nipple that was already taut and ready for him.

"Mmm… you were supposed to be here last night. I will have to punish you for making me wait, you know."

Ireynia moaned again as the skilled human captured her left nipple in between his teeth and made small circles around it with his tongue. She had trained him so well. The Elven rogue gasped and arched her back as he started sucking her nipple and making soft kisses against her ribs and belly, his free hand reaching down to push up her skirt and tease her through her smallclothes. "Oh, my, my. Forbidden punishments. You promise?"

"I give you my word."

* * *

An hour later, he finally slid out of her and held her against his chest as they watched the sun's morning rays illuminate his apartment. He kissed her shoulders and neck and listened as she spoke again.

"It wasn't my fault this time, you know. Master Giordo killed Saul a couple days ago, so guess who had to organize the salvage and recovery crew when the north district warehouse went up in smoke?" She murmured against his chest as he held her on top of his hairy body.

"Again! Andraste's ass! Someone needs to teach those idiots how to make bombs without setting the entire block on fire. Did the recruits and initiates make it this time?"

She looked up at him and nuzzled her forehead against his beard. Only Fernando would ask if the youngsters had made it out alive before wondering about how many supplies could be salvaged. And he would only share those concerns with her. This was why Ireynia stayed with the swarthy shem, even after four years of being in a position to choose a true District Master for her to follow. The rest of the courtesans and elven female Crows could wonder about it all they wanted, but she was no idiot. "Yes, well, most of them survived. I stayed with the recovery crew until Master Yorichi arrived and then we sent everyone to Master Tomas's warehouse for the night. You, Master Antoine, and the other eleven Masters along with their Seconds are supposed to assemble at his warehouse to discuss the City Master's reassignments and next set of orders. Looks like the Queen is forgetting how to behave like an Antivan, and it turns out she's hired a few Tevinter bodyguards. So the noble princes will want to put her in her place soon, before the King returns from his holiday in Llomerynn. And the Hawk will no doubt ask you to take a recruit or two off his hands while he reorganizes the training facilities."

"No doubt. Hmmm, I wonder if that blonde elf I bought from the Veil is still alive. He'd be a good message delivery boy for us these next few months." He smacked her bottom playfully and kissed her before she jumped off the bed. "You're coming with me this time, darling, so let's get cleaned up. I need you to check out the other Masters for me, my little minx." Ah, but it was so good to have her around again. Too many of his fellow Crows took their Elves for granted, thinking them no more than a pretty face or another pair of hands to do some menial task. His Ireynia was as smart as she was lovely, and he wasn't about to muddle with their cozy little arrangement by making her feel uncared for.

"As you command, Master Fernando." She grinned coquettishly and backhanded him playfully across his cheek, giggling the entire time.

"Master, is it? I passed The Test four years ago. Am I finally going to get my own Cell to run?" He had missed her playfulness, her giggles and her unfailingly accurate advice just as much as he missed the view of her sensuous little hips swaying as she walked away from him. Forbidden pleasures, indeed. Fernando sighed contentedly as he followed her to the baths.

"Hmmm… you'll see." She beckoned him to join her as she stepped into the tub of warm water.

* * *

Zevran felt a curious sensation at the pit of his stomach, like he was about to be sick. He stopped running for a moment and clutched his abdomen.

"Are you alright?" Miguel touched his back and Elrik also stopped, worried about zombification again.

The blonde elf breathed deeply and stood up, glad that the sensation passed. He looked puzzled for a moment as he heard a loud ringing sound, then his ears popped and he shook his head. He had to go, he had to get away and help her! Help… who? What was going on, and why did he feel so angry all of a sudden?

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's keep going." He began jogging again, this time at a much faster pace.

"Eh, it was prolly just cramps from not strechin' good enough. Hans always tellin' us to stretch…" Elrik started to explain further, but he was interrupted as Olaf ran towards them from the other direction. Time seemed to slow down for a moment as the boy stuck his leg out in front of Zevran and tripped him, snickering scornfully as the elf fell on his hands and knees.

Unfortunately for Olaf, he was not prepared for Zevran's quick somersault, and definitely not prepared for him to have such a fierce reaction to being tripped. The elf yelled at him and jumped up from the ground, rushing forward and knocking Olaf on his back with a swift kick to his knee. Both boys screamed as Zevran unleashed his anger, punching and kicking him repeatedly, unmindful of the crunch as his fist connected with the human's ribs at one point. Several other children gathered to watch the spectacle as Donatello and Miguel cheered him on.

Unbeknownst to the young recruits, Ireynia had seen the entire fracas. She lifted her skirts a little, skipped down the hillside after Hans and the other teenagers and smiled as she watched the young elf pummel the larger shem who had tripped him. This must be the boy Fernando had talked about earlier. There were certainly no other blonde elves amongst this group.

"Hey, stop it!" She grabbed the boy by the waist and pulled him towards her, pinning his arms to his sides when he struggled a bit.

"I have to go, I have to go!" Zevran yelled.

"Shhhh! Calm down, little one. What are you talking about? Where would you go?" She asked. He finally stopped struggling and looked down at the human boy whimpering at his feet. Why had he done that? Zevran thought he heard whispering, but there was clearly no one here except some woman holding him down and the boys gathered in front of him. He shook his head and wondered what was going on.

"Ow, my side hurts….!" Olaf gasped and wailed; his pride hurt just as much as his body. The teenaged initiates chastised the other children and ordered them to get back to their morning exercises again. Hans slapped Olaf across the face in an exasperated gesture and then led the limping boy and his fellow recruits back up the hill.

The woman pulled Zevran away from the group, walked towards the shady hillside and turned him around to face her. "Look at you. You have only been here two days and you are already causing so much trouble. Don't you understand how dangerous it is here for you?" She brushed the dust off his face and smiled as she looked into his wide, round hazel eyes. Her Fernando had excellent instincts. This was certainly an adorable little boy, although perhaps a bit too skinny. "You are Elvhen, little one. The shemlen could gang up on you anytime and slit your throat. Do not draw attention to yourself! And for Andraste's sake, learn to control your anger! Do you understand?"

"Yes, ser. I understand. I'm sorry." He looked at her and wondered why she had a mark of three curving lines on the side of her face. Zevran had seen quite a few Dalish visiting the city and they all had various face tattoos, but none looked like that.

"Don't apologize to me, I am not your master. And only the dead have time for regrets. Get back up the hill and go clean up. It's almost time for your breakfast, no?"

"Yes, ser." Zevran nodded to her and ran up the hill as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

"How many Crows did we lose last night due to negligence at the northern facility, Hans?" The man in the black robes had personally delivered and acted on the death edict to the former Crow Master of that district, and there was now a vacancy that had to be filled amongst their ranks.

Hans blinked a couple of times before answering, finding it somewhat difficult to understand Master Yorichi's accent. "Um, Master Tomas says only two of the bomb-makers died, but four recruits got killed in the fire when the building collapsed. And another two here last night. We didn't realize they were injured so bad. But the recruit who was in there with them… Zevran is alright, though."

"I see. And you say there were two revenants in his cage last night and he escaped without so much as a scratch?" Master Yorichi, notable assassin, scholar and alchemist frowned as some foul-smelling and mysterious-looking dried body fluids flaked off the writing tablet one of the initiates had retrieved from Zevran's cage.

"Yes, ser. He killed one by smashing its head against the bars of his cage, while Master Tomas killed the other with one of his throwing knives."

"Hmmph. A quick fighter, fairly intelligent, and very lucky. Interesting combination for one so young." The short scholar finished reading Zevran's responses and dismissed Hans with an impatient gesture. "Master Tomas! Tell us, what does The Hawk think of all this activity?"

"If you're talking about that golden-haired brat, I'd say he's bound to be trouble. Far too clever for his own good. And pretty enough to pass off as girl, too. Why do you ask? Thinking of taking him in yourself?"

"Yes, I must insist." Yorichi worked directly for the Master of the City, and he was always a neutral party in all the various Crow cells' squabbles. Though the Antiva City Master did not technically have a cell of his own, he had enough dedicated assassins and blood mages that no one had dared to challenge his power in over a decade. With men like Master Yorichi choosing to serve him, it was a safe bet that no one would issue any challenge for quite some time, either.

Master Tomas raised one eyebrow and wiped the sweat off his balding head. "Well, well, that IS something then. Please, take the brat. One less mouth for us to feed, although I think the little knife-eared whoreson couldn't possibly be a prodigy. But far be it from me to contradict the Great Yorichi."

Yorichi chose to ignore the man's snide remark and instead focused on the business at hand. "There is just the matter of his residence and attending to his physical training, of course. Master Venicio, Master Giordo – is there any space available at your districts' quarters?"

Venicio simply yelled, "No space on the docks."

The men looked to Giordo, who shook his head from side to side. "No, Master Yorichi. I am afraid the southern district is full for now. We only lost one man due to Prince Samael's recent familial disputes, but we have a new estate to occupy and no one is available to keep watch over one so young."

Ireynia rolled her eyes at Giordo's remark, sneering from the shadows at the man's obvious lie. Most of the Crows knew he had recently killed his best spy – probably in a fit of rage – and his attempt at covering it up was beyond foolish. Was he trying to get out of submitting a detailed report? He should know by now that the Antiva City Master demanded an accounting for all of his Crows. It was simply a matter of time before he found out about this small treachery. The stealthy rogue eyed all of the Masters assembled at the front of the room and gauged their reactions as Fernando took center stage.

"Were you perhaps discussing the recruit I brought in a couple days ago?" Fernando pushed ahead of the group of Crows gathered near Master Tomas and crossed his arms as he looked at the much shorter scholar.

"Yes, that'd be him. Why? Are you volunteering to take him off our hands?" The Hawk wiped the sweat off his forehead again, wishing this business was over soon. There were far too many people crowding the warehouse now, even with most of the boys off running along the beach.

Fernando nodded in agreement. "We are in need of a discrete messenger or two. The next few days will be… quite busy for the Palace district, as I am sure you are all well aware of." A few of the other Crows chuckled at his remark. Royal business was always messy.

The Hawk was not finished. "If you could use another, take one of the initiates as well. Hans needs to go, his skills are wasted here. He'll be ready to take his oath in another year, or perhaps less if he learns to tolerate pain better. And I'll have plenty from the north to make up for his absence."

"Fine, that works for us." Fernando gestured to Ireynia, who nodded in confirmation.

Master Yorichi cleared his throat and flexed his hands as he regarded the bearded Crow before him. "And you will see to this… Zevran's training, Fernando?"

"I have not taken an apprentice in two years, so I suppose it is overdue. Yes, I will personally see that he is trained in hand-to-hand. We have a few initiates who can watch over him. And the west district's courtesans will take him in for… other training in a few years. Is that satisfactory, Master Yorichi?"

"Yes, very. Take care of our investment and see that he reports to the Nest every morning at dawn. Bring him back here for his recruit proving in exactly two months. With your one-on-one training, he should definitely be able to kill his opponents with little effort." The black-robed man cleared his throat and turned to the rest of the Crows in front of him. "Attention, everyone – listen to the Antiva City Master's orders. We will need eight groups of two or three-man ambush parties for this. So get your cells in order, because bidding on this lucrative contract will start tomorrow. Her Royal Majesty will be travelling to visit her estate in Rialto in two days. The Queen is paranoid, but she has only done herself a disservice by refusing to hire any Crows as her personal bodyguards…"

* * *

"Hey, go get your things. We're leaving." Hans reached out and unlocked Zevran's collar, pulling the hinged ring away from his neck as the boy looked up at him in astonishment.

"What…?"

"We got traded to one of the district masters. You should be glad; you're going to get some special training right away instead of being locked away in a cage for another three or four months. Now hurry up and gather your things. We don't want to keep Master Fernando waiting."

Zevran grabbed his clothes and boots and followed Hans out the front door of the warehouse to the carriage waiting in the street. He recognized the man who had first brought him to the training facility conversing with Master Yorichi, the elven woman who had spoken to him before breakfast and another man with a prominent widow's peak.

"Congratulations are finally in order, Master Fernando. I will be taking over the North's number one cell near the Circle Tower today. Please tell Ignacio to start transferring some supplies. Take care of things in the old neighborhood, and perhaps a discount at the Veil and the Oasis would be nice... We are still family, no?"

"Always, cousin. I am your man. And stick to poison-making up there for a while, alright? Don't let those idiots start making bombs again until they follow Master Yorichi's safety protocols. I know you'll have them turning a profit in no time."

"Of course. I have some good ideas about what to do with that extra lyrium too, hahaha." Master Antoine went back into the warehouse as the rest of the adults climbed into the carriage.

Hans showed the blonde child how to hold onto the straps on the back of the passenger compartment as the two boys situated themselves in the cargo space. They were whisked away to the southwest side of town and closer to the source of the city's fresh water supply. When the horses led them across the main bridge and past the large hill where the Royal Palace stood, Hans laughed as his fellow passenger stared in open-mouthed amazement at the grand structure with its many turrets, flower gardens and glass windows sparkling in the morning sun.

"Wow! If I could have shown those tourists this place, I would've made a lot more money!" Zevran remarked. Here, the buildings were taller and made out of stone instead of wood. The carriage driver opened the door and let Master Yorichi out in front of a large building with a series of red and black shutters and awnings, and the elven boy was almost disappointed when they headed back down the hills toward the tannery district again.

"Remember that place, Zevran. It's fourteen blocks from where we'll be staying at now. You and I will have to deliver messages and other things back and forth between the west district's number one cell and the Nest."

"What's the Nest?"

"That building where we just dropped Master Yorichi off. It's the Crow headquarters where the Antiva City Master stays sometimes, right near the Palace."

"Oh." They came to a stop in front of a five-story sandstone building that faced the main street with a series of three and four-story apartments behind it. Hans led the boy through a small walkway and past a courtyard to one of the dingy apartments on the bottom floor. A tall, tired-looking man with dark brown hair stopped them before they could enter.

"I am Ignacio. You will report here every night when Master Fernando is done giving you tasks for the day. So what's your name?" He looked to the auburn-haired teenager.

"It's Hans, Ser."

"Ah, and is this the little knife-eared brat who gets special treatment from the Masters?"

"I am Zevran, ser."

"Hmmph. Spoiled little whoreson. Next thing you know, they'll be teaching them to do juggling tricks and asking me to buy their circus outfits." He mumbled as he unlocked the door to their new residence. "Keep the place clean, Hans. I or my partner Cesar will be inspecting you and this other little bastard every morning. The common baths are right around the corner, to the left of your apartment. Training room is in the cellar of the main building, but do not go down there unless the sign says 'enter'. Or you might see something wicked that your innocent little minds should probably not see, yet." He guffawed and snickered when Hans blanched at the mention of something wicked.

"Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in the main hall just past the water fountain when the Chantry bells ring seven, one, and seven. If you're late, you get no food, period. If Master Fernando, Mistress Ireynia or the cook asks you to do something for them, you do it - no questions asked. Stay out of everyone else's way. We Crows all have contracts to fulfill and real work to do. And don't bother the other initiates, either. I had better not hear anything about either of you making mischief or doing something troublesome. Now get the fuck out of my sight." He muttered about his supply list and left them alone.

Zevran was the first to enter their tiny one-room apartment. There were two small beds against one wall, a chest in between the beds, one desk across from the door and a short dresser in front of a shuttered window that looked out into the courtyard.

Hans shuffled in, opened the shutters and began stuffing his extra clothes and low-grade weaponry inside the dresser. "Well, I've seen worse. I'm taking the bed next to the window, kid. Put on some proper clothes, store your stuff in that chest and let's go see what Mistress Ireynia wants us to do."

"Is she a Crow too?" The elf wondered about the pale-skinned elven lady in the fancy dress who had spoken to him after his fight with Olaf. He finished donning his normal clothes and boots and sat on the edge of the bed. Zevran had never even had a real bed to himself – and now he had one that was covered in clean linen sheets and there were no bugs in sight. Perhaps he had been blessed by Lady Luck after all.

"Yes, of course. Well, sort of. Everyone knows that women don't take the Oath. They're either pledged to the Antiva City Master, one of the District Masters, or else they're courtesans and only rarely take contracts or do any of the killing work. Women were made to look pretty and make babies, not engage in combat."

"What's a courtesan?" Zevran asked, worried about what being in this new place could mean.

"Didn't you come from a whorehouse, kid? A courtesan is pretty much a harlot, except a lot more skilled, fancy, expensive and wicked-smart. The House of Lilies is where you'll go for that sort of training in another seven or eight years. But you'll never actually get to be a courtesan. You're a boy, and you're an elf."

"What do you mean? Why do I have to go there?" Zevran was full of questions about his new owners and what he would be expected to do. But no one had hit him yet. And there was talk of three meals a day. So far, he thought that being owned by a District Master wasn't so bad at all.

"Cause you're pretty, and I'm not. Now quit asking questions and let's go, knife-ears!"

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ For a rough diagram of how the city is divided into the various Crow jurisdictions in this story, see pics. livejournal. com/ Leilana /pic /0000kfbx (remove spaces). As always, see author profile for story disclaimer. _


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